In the Dragon's Ire
by JasmineBelle7
Summary: Co-authored by HPFan1952 and JasmineBelle7. Kate and Castle are on the run. Will they be able to survive or, will the flames of villainy find them before they find him?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle.

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><p>Co-authored by<strong> HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

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><p>"It was an unfortunate remark, for the dragon spouted terrific flames after him, and fast though he sped up the slope, he had not gone nearly far enough to be comfortable before the ghastly head of Smaug was thrust against the opening behind." -<em>The Hobbit<em>, J.R.R Tolkien.

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><p><span>Chapter One<span>

The moon remained obscured by the ever growing cloud cover, leaving only a weak glow to illuminate the world below. A hushed wind gathered the small remaining tendril of leaves from the trees and dusted them across the clearing into the darkness. The shadowed outline of a creature of the night sped through the open space, disappearing into the dark void beyond as the sound of tires rolling upon stone echoed into woodland. A black car pulled into the clearing, parking alongside the cabin's porch, its headlights shining on the wood supports.

She killed the engine and removed the keys, keeping her attention focused on the darkness of the woods as she dropped them into his lap. "Bedrooms are upstairs," she said, removing her seat belt. "Pick whichever one you want." In one swift movement she exited the car, the slam of her door cutting off the sound of his words, and started around to the side of the cabin searching out the dirt path leading into the deep recesses of the forest beyond.

Kate navigated her way along the well worn path, memory keeping her from straying into the darkness, the sound of rushing water pulling her back towards the light. She exited the trees only a few feet of rough earth separating her from the currents of a wide stream racing its way to the sea. She continued on following the path upstream, the ache in her heart weaving its way forward until it consumed every fiber in her soul. Her footsteps slowed until the weight of the last few hours crushed down upon her forcing her to the damp ground.

Tears slipped from her eyes as she curled up against the wide roots of a tree, her forehead resting against her knees. Her sobs escaped her, shaking her frame. She could kill him; kill him and jump into the river, allow it to wash her away. I love you never stung more. She hugged her legs tighter, her nails digging into the fabric of her pants. She felt the thunder in her bones, heard the rain coming roaring down. She shivered against the gust of wind and curled closer to the root.

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><p>Castle remained motionless in the seat of the car, the downpour blinding his view beyond the corner of the cabin. He lowered his gaze to the keys in his lap, his mind still trying to process the last ten minutes, the last three hours, the last year. His hand reached for the keys of its own accord, his sub-conscious mind working to keep him from remaining a statue forever.<p>

He closed the car door absentmindedly, the rain soaking him through in seconds. He trailed his eyes up along the gravel drive, tracing a path to the last place he had seen her. His heart begged him to follow. He bowed his head away, the rain washing away his tears as fast as they fell. He sloshed through the building mud and up onto the porch, fumbling through the keys until he found the one that worked with the lock and stepped inside, feeling as if he where invading a place he didn't belong.

Refusing to search for a light switch, he crossed the darkened rooms, the open floor design allowing him to go from family room to dining room to kitchen without shifting an inch from the straight line he was making. He halted at the sliding glass door, listening to the rain drumming on the roof far above him; the sound of his dripping cloths on the hard wood floor lost amongst the cacophony. A flash of lightening momentarily made the world stand in stark contrasts of light and dark, leaving a ghost of the outside world in his eyes. He blinked back against his tears and rested his forehead against the cold glass, reaching a hand up as if hoping to pass right through. _I'm sorry, Kate._

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><p>Kate waited until she saw the lights go on and off in the room upstairs, then she waited a little longer. She waited until she was shivering and numb. She didn't want to think. She couldn't think anymore. She just wanted it to all go away. When she couldn't bear it any longer, she forced her arms to move, to push her stiff knees into standing up. She walked stiffly to the house and let herself in, locking the door behind her. She went through her routine of opening the house in a daze. The menial tasks completed, she climbed the stairs to the shower, let the steam fill the room and the water flow over her aching body.<p>

The thoughts and questions tried to force themselves back into her mind but she pushed them away. It hurt too much and raised too much panic. Feeling dizzy, she turned off the water and climbed into her flannel pants and sweatshirt without bothering to dry off. She climbed into bed and forced herself to breathe, to concentrate on the beat of her heart and find her will to keep going, one heartbeat and one breath at a time.

She must have dozed off at some point in the night because she was awakened by the bright sun coming through the windows. Fresh dread settled in but she squashed it with determination. She was not going out without a fight. Kate could not remember when in the night she had decided this but she knew it was the only way. She headed for the door but she caught sight of herself in the mirror and saw her hair in a crazy tangled mess around her face. She needed complete control today and that included her hair. She had another quick shower, knowing her Dad would have killed her for wasting the precious, limited well water, before she made her way downstairs to face the days ahead. For now, she wished she had the strength to face the day ahead; she had to take it one day at a time.

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><p>The storm, the tension and the thoughts swirling in his mind kept Castle tossing and turning all night long. He replayed the day before in his mind like it was a film and it was enough to make Castle wonder if he had he even lived it? As the dark sky became streaked with the first wisps of pink light, he grew still. Maybe if he didn't move, the night would stay frozen in place too. So he lay in the room he had chosen, the quilt on the bed worn and the carpet faded, and stared out the window. He watched the sun come up, the night running away as he and Kate had hours before.<p>

He heard the creak of the springs from next door and assumed that Kate was up as well. He showered and dressed before he made his way down to the kitchen. Kate appeared moments later, her hair wet from her own shower and dark circles under her eyes. Those eyes would not meet his but still he sensed something different in her today. She moved to make coffee and he joined her, silently. Anyone watching from outside would have seen their dance and would have guessed them a happy couple. Kate and Castle moved in harmony, moving perfectly together while performing the simple task. Anyone would have guessed until they saw the hurt looks on their faces and the terror and insecurity in their eyes.

Coffee made and mug in hand Castle stood at the same door that he had the night before. The rain had long since stopped. Now, the sun was shining bright and was burning off the fog. It was too bright, too stark, just too...Too much to handle and too hard to face each other. It was hard enough in the darkness and the storm that had surrounded them, but it was even harder in the harsh light of day. The light was so unforgiving, as unforgiving as the situation they were in now.

He worked himself up to speak those first tense words that were stuck inside him. He knew they had to talk about the phone call from Mr. Smith, the secret he had kept and their run together into the night. He steeled himself, taking hold of the sunlight and using it to warm the words forming on his tongue, but when he turned she was gone. He called out, panic rising inside him. "Kate!"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

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><p>Co-authored by <strong>HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

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><p>"But indeed, it is not so much for its beauty that the forest<br>makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something,  
>that quality of the air, that emanation from the old trees,<br>that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit."  
><em>-<em>Robert Louis Stevenson, _Essays of Travel_ (1905). Forest Notes

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><p><span>Chapter Two<span>

_**12 hours earlier...**_

He pounded on her door frantically, yelling. "Kate! Open up! I know you don't want to talk to me and I don't blame you..."

She went to the door and leaned her forehead against the cool, smooth wood. She heard him sigh loudly on the other side of the door and when he spoke next, it was quietly; as if he knew she was just on the other side of the door. "Kate, you don't even have to talk to me, I just need to talk to you. Something is going on and I don't particularly want to tell the world. Please, just open the door and I can tell you what is happening. Kate, it's bad." His voice was raspy at the end and Kate pushed back her anger, feeling in her gut something serious was in fact happening. Every time he said her name her heart had cracked and splintered but she stuck it back together in some functional form and opened the door.

His face was weary and his shoulders limp. "Kate...Hi."

Her poor battered heart fell apart again. She turned, not able to face him, and left Castle to close the door behind him. She went to the island in the kitchen and pretended to busy herself.

Whatever calm had possessed him on the other side of the door was gone now and Castle moved quickly to her side, and grabbing her by the shoulders, turned her around to face him. "Kate, we have to go. Go pack, quickly now. Just throw stuff in a bag so that we can get out of here. "

"What do you mean get out of here?"

"Mr .Smith..."

Kate interrupted, venom dripping from every word. "Oh your buddy called did he? You guys are going out for a beer later?" He looked hurt at that but she wanted it to hurt, needed to see it.

"Kate, just please hear me out. You know contacts me when he sees fit to do so, that is not the issue here." He sounded impatient and disappointed, like he would talk to Alexis or like her father would talk to her when they did something wrong. "I dug a little too deep the other day, the day I told you what I found, and it caused some waves. It got back to The Dragon; Mr. Smith called me and told me to stay on the down low. I tried to call and tell you but you haven't answered my calls. A few hours ago Mr. Smith heard more rumblings about the Dragon making a move. He thinks we should run, hide, stay safe and in doing so we would draw the dragon out, catch him once and for all. So scoot, pack a bag as we need to go now, tonight."

She stared blankly at him, trying and failing to block it all out, before she switched to anger. Anger was her friend, providing her with a prickly armour and keeping her safe. "I don't want to run; it's cowardly and sends the message that we are weak."

"On the contrary, we are strong Kate. We have leads of our own that we would be chasing. We would be chasing The Dragon and luring The Dragon out, not running away from him. We are brave..." He tried to add some levity to the situation. "Well, you are brave and I am the plucky sidekick. " Turning serious again he finished. "I don't care what you want, this is what we are doing and I know you can do this Kate."

He reached out to put a hand on her arm and squeezed it in reassurance but she shrugged the hand off, the "I don't care" echoing in her mind. Slowly he let his hand fall to his side and muttered at her to go pack. She glanced back only once to see Castle putting things away in her kitchen with a look on her face she could not even begin to describe.

The next few minutes flew by as Kate packed and locked up her apartment, the tense silence surrounding them. Kate was furious with Castle, well, more furious added to the anger and hurt she was carrying around. Castle hadn't spoken to her other than to let her know that she couldn't tell anyone anything and during their quick debate on where to head first. They stopped only once, halfway to the cabin, to get gas and Kate got in the driver's seat in an unspoken agreement. Otherwise, the car ride passed in silence the both of them hurting, Kate fuming and Castle hating himself.

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><p><em><strong>Present time...<strong>_

He called out again, checking over every inch of the ground floor with his eyes, his heart nearly choking him as it shoved its way into his throat. He shot forward, aiming for the open front door, the sound of the coffee mug shattering on the floor falling on deaf ears. His eyes searched for any object he could fight with that rested in his path. He nearly collided with her as she entered the doorway, coffee still in hand. He leaned against the door frame, swallowing back the dread and taking the first full breath since finding her gone.

Kate crossed in front of him and started towards the kitchen island, her eyes still refusing to meet his. He followed her movements with his gaze, keeping her in his sight until he could finally convince his sleep deprived mind she was safe and not taken or…Castle shook his head and pushed away from the door frame, unwilling to let the last thought cross his consciousness. He traced his way around the couch, taking a seat on the cushions, running his hands over his face, as he continued to take deep breaths until his heart rate fell.

"I…I'm sorry," he released in a rush, his previous resolve finally catching back up to him, in a flurry of crushing thoughts. He raised his head to face her, holding his breath as he watched her still at the counter, her back to him on the stool. "I never meant for this to happen."

He could see her take in a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling in the motion. She dropped her head and he could just picture the crease in her lip as she struggled to fight the emotions and words building up in her. "You told me you loved me," she started, her voice wavering with tears. "But, you went behind my back. You made that choice, Castle."

"I just wanted to keep you safe," he said, repeating the same words he had spoken just days before, his gaze dropping to the arm of the couch, his eyes growing moist as he studied the patterns in the fabric. "I don't want to lose you," he added, shutting his eyes as a flood of memories found their way into his mind, sending tears down the side of his face, the terror seizing his heart. "I-I can't go through that again."

Castle shifted in his seat, fighting back the nightmares playing out in his mind. He took a deep breath and lifted his head, his sub-conscious mind needing reassurance once more. She still remained sitting on the stool, her shoulders still rising and falling with each intake of air. He could just hear the sound of her shifting the mug in her hands, running it in circles on the tile.

"I know, Rick," she said, dropping her head lower before raising it high and squaring her shoulders. "But, that doesn't change the fact we are on the run from the very same people you hoped to protect me from." Kate turned to face him, her mug left on the counter behind her, her hands resting her lap. "Look, I don't want to fight about this now." She placed a hand to the side of her head. "I have a bigger battle to wage and a next step to plan. I—

Kate froze, her attention fixed on a point over his shoulder. She shifted her position on the stool, ready to jump to her feet. He made to see for himself what had caught her focus but, found himself brought to the floor just as the first shot rang out, followed by the sound of a vase shattering on impact, its shards scattering around them.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle.

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><p>Co-authored by <strong>HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

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><p>" 'Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten."<p>

-_Lilo and Stitch_ (2002)

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><p><span>Chapter Three<span>

Esposito punched the end button as the call went straight to voicemail for the twentieth time in the last two hours and returned the phone to his pocket. He shook his head at his partner, trying his best to keep the nagging thoughts out of his mind as they stepped from the elevator onto her floor, following the hallway down towards her apartment. Both froze as they came to her door, the lock picked, and a small tendril of light peeking through the crack in the door. He drew his weapon steeling himself for what might lay on the other side, Ryan following suit beside him.

On an unspoken count of three, he entered first, his eyes searching out the slightest signs of movement, fearing the slightest sight of blood or worse. The apartment lay in ruins. Shards of lamps, vases, and glasses littered the floor amongst a scattering of loose papers and books. Furniture ended its life as overturned objects, the pillows and cushions ripped to shreds, the cotton strewn about the room. Shelving units rested on the ground a jumble of broken wood.

Giving a nod to his partner to explore into the rest of the apartment, he carefully made his way towards the kitchen mentally filling every detail for later review. Broken plates covered the kitchen floor, while appliances appeared ripped from the wall. Her cell phone rested in pieces over the counter along with scatted envelopes and letters. Every cabinet door or silverware drawer remained open or hung ajar on its hinges, their contents a mish mash on the ground.

He raised his head from his explorations, as Ryan returned to the main room giving his quick note of the rest of the apartment; empty but in shambles, not a single drop of blood to be found.

"So she may not have been home when this happened," he started, returning his gun to his side, the tension in his chest loosing at the notion. He started a second search of the space, his eyes seeking answers to the question of who would overturn Kate's apartment, as Ryan made the call.

"A call just came in from Alexis," Ryan began, worry etched into his features, as he closed his phone in a rush. "Castle's loft has been hit, too."

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><p>Alexis was waiting outside the loft, sitting on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest and looking so much younger than she was. She lifted her head when the elevator pinged and the first thing the boys saw were her bright blue eyes, lost and confused. She scrambled to her feet as she saw them, brushing hers hands on the burgundy corduroy pants she wore.<p>

Espo spoke first. "Have you touched anything?"

Alexis was indignant."I'm not an idiot. No, I didn't touch anything."

Esposito apologized sheepishly, handed her a pair of gloves from his pocket and, donning a pair himself, pushed open the door to the loft. It was as Kate's apartment had been, silent and empty, the vases smashed and cushions ripped apart. The piano lid had been ripped off and the some of the strings were detached, coiling as if in pain. The prized bookcase was empty; the books lay in piles on the floor, like the aftermath of a rockslide. They moved their way around the loft cataloguing the damage and searching for anything that might provide some answers. Slowly but surely they made their way to Castle's study and were presented with the sight of his projection screen, slashed and tattered.

Alexis cried out softly, imagining the violence that could have befallen her father. She left Espo and Ryan to pick through the strewn papers and she moved to the window. The telescope was still there, lying on the floor, the wood scratched and the lenses broken. She sat in the ripped leather chair, closed herself off to the world and instead remembered the times she and her father had struggled to search for stars in the light polluted skies. She smiled, more often than not they ended up people watching until her dad would be seized by an idea. He would run to the computer and she would sit and watch him type madly for hours.

Espo and Ryan had found Castle's computer, intact under a pile of papers and a broken lamp. They turned it on and Ryan searched for the files he knew Castle had; the information on Kate, Kate's mother and The Dragon. They were gone. Ryan sighed in frustration and filled Esposito in.

Esposito looked shocked. "What do you mean you knew?"

Ryan stuttered as he tried to explain but they were interrupted by the shrill voice of a terrified mother. "Richard? Alexis?"

"We're in the study Mrs. Rogers." Esposito called out, calmly.

Martha came around the door frame, her red hair looking electrified and her eyes wide with anxiety. "What is going on? Alexis, honey, are you okay?"

Alexis moved to give her grandmother a hug. "I'm fine Grams, really."

The boys watched her face change as her father's often did when he got a case breaking idea. Alexis ran to the fridge and searched through the contents that were strewn about. "They're gone!"

The three adults followed her, slowly picking their way around the mess.

She turned excitedly. "We were supposed to make breakfast together this morning. When we talked last night he said he had everything except he needed me to pick up whipped cream for the strawberries. Now, look in the fridge, they're gone. He took them on purpose, he left on purpose, he's fine..." She sank back to the floor, not even noticing her hand falling in a puddle on the floor.

Esposito and Ryan looked at each other wondering if it could really be that easy. At least for now it was easy enough to let the young woman in front of them believe that her father was safe.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle.

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><p>Co-authored by <strong>HPFan1952<strong> and** JasmineBelle7**.

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><p>"Amid the turmoil and tumult of battle, there may be seeming disorder and yet no real disorder at all; amid confusion and chaos, your array may be without head or tail, yet it will be proof against defeat."<p>

- Sun Tzu, _The Art of War_.

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><p><span>Chapter Four<span>

They lay there on the ground in the seconds before the next shots rang out, feeling each other's heart beat and their lungs filling with air again. Kate rolled off of him and they moved just in time, as the next shots pitted into the floor where they had been moments before. They leaned against the wall that was their only protection, trying desperately to catch their breath.

Castle studied Kate, searching for any signs of panic. They were there, well hidden and carefully disguised. He saw her struggling to the surface of that panic, her eyes almost but not quite focusing. He reached for her hand hoping to help pull her to the surface."Kate..."

She fractured and cracked open. "Stop saying my name. Please, just stop."

Castle was ready to interrupt but Kate ploughed on.

"No, I need you to stop. You keep saying it like you did when I got shot. Every time I hear you say it I feel the hard ground underneath me, you above me and those words coming out of your mouth. I feel the pain, the loss and the longing all over again. It haunts me."

Whatever was holding Castle's heart together broke away."I told you that I love you and you tell me it haunts you." He closed his eyes at the pain. It was so much easier to believe that she didn't remember anything.

He tried again, willing himself to say her name without causing her pain. "Kate. I'm sorry and you were right before, we can't fight about this now. Let's just plan on getting out of here."

She reached behind her to pull out her gun, her shirt lifting slightly so that Castle was momentarily distracted and didn't notice her putting the dark, heavy weapon in his hand. He was momentarily confused, wondering where the second weapon had come from.

"Backup. Ankle holster. Now is not the time to question." She held her gun steady and waited for him to catch up.

More shots rang out. They were closer now, but the shooter hadn't moved. He, or she, was still at the front of the house, forcing them to move...somewhere. They could go out the front and most certainly fight fire with fire or they could go out the back and be ambushed. The car was in the front but then again it could be booby trapped. A few more shots, pinging off the refrigerator, and then all that could be heard the sound of feet crunching in the gravel outside the front door. It was a brazen move on the shooter's part, arrogant and uncaring.

Out the back it was.

She looked into Castle's eyes and knew he had followed her silent thought process. They silently counted to three and then they moved, in sync, as if they had been practicing for years. The moment the backdoor opened, shots fell around them and took the door off its hinges. All perfectly choreographed movements were forgotten now; they ran wildly, firing in the direction the shots had come from.

As they crossed the tree line Castle saw the shooter from the front of the house coming out the back door. He was wearing jeans, a green flannel shirt and worn cowboy boots and his posture was matched the way he had sauntered up to the front of the house just moments before. That bold and superior attitude was chilling and the image stuck in his head long after the trees had swallowed them.

Kate's neighbours had an old orange pickup truck with fake wood paneled siding. They used it to bring in logs for the fire or haul rocks, so while it was pretty banged up, all that mattered to Kate and Castle was that it ran. They dug the keys from under the floor mat and turned the truck on; surprisingly it ran smoothly, a nice quiet hum. Kate sat in the driver's seat; hoping the small, simple task of driving would give her some much needed control.

They drove slowly down the driveway and out onto the dirt road. So as not to attract attention, they stayed just on the speed limit until they were outside of town. Once they got on the highway though, they pushed the truck to go faster, wanting to put as much distance between them and their attackers as possible.

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><p>Silence. Silence followed them. Silence and un-ease followed them as the miles tick by, followed them as town after city after town passed their windows. Silence and un-ease followed them through the gas station, through the diner, followed them through tunnels and over passes. It followed them through the lunch time stand still and rush hour traffic. It followed them as the sun rose high, bore down and, then set in the west. It followed them to the edge of a small city's limit, the pale moon casting a silver glow over the welcome sign. And, silence and un-ease followed them, as they pulled into the dark motel, not run done enough to be considered cheap but, not upscale enough to be remembered beyond a good night's sleep, and purchased a single room with the small amount of cash he had concealed within his jacket pocket.<p>

Kate checked every inch of the parking lot with her eyes, her hand resting on the weapon at her side, ears listening for the sound of a stranger's approach, as she turned the key into the lock and pushed open the door to their room. She let her gaze wander over the meager surroundings, the tension only easing in her shoulders as Castle closed and locked the door behind her. Sitting on the edge of the single bed, she waved off his quiet offer of letting her have first dibs on a shower, instead insisting he go ahead. She dropped her face in her hands the moment the door clicked shut, breathing in deep to try to clear away the knot in her chest, the day playing too cruelly on a determined spirit to keep a brave face for too long.

She had nearly fallen back into the dark abyss of a panic attack; nearly succumb to terror, a single touch, a single voice pulling her back. She remembered the sound of her name on his tongue, the concern, the fear she might slip into a tight frozen ball. She hadn't meant to snap at him like that, hadn't meant to put the hurt in his eyes, at least not over those words. She pulled her hands through her hair the terror of the day melding into the roller coaster of the past week, all starting with her secret finding the light of day and ending like this. She heard the sound of the water cut off and, removed her hands from her hair. She whipped at her eyes, her tears un-noticed until the back of her hand smudged the liquid across her cheeks. She barely raised her head as he returned into the room, trying to hide what she knew he would see.

"I tried to leave you enough hot water," he said quietly, his weight dipping down the far corner of the bed. She spoke her thanks and started towards the bathroom, feeling the warmth of the residual steam as she stripped herself bare and turned on the shower head. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the shower wall, allowing the hot water to run over her face and shoulders, washing away the dirt and dust and sweat of running through the woods.

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><p>Kate's muscles protested as she switched off the water, long since turned cold, and pulled herself from the tiny shower, her mind finally clear. She reached for the remaining towel on the rod and dried quickly, cursing as the cold room finally caught up to her bones. She cursed again as she remembered her the rest of her clothes remained back at the cabin, leaving her with her only option being her torn button up shirt to sleep in. Hastily, she re-dressed into her shirt grateful it at least covered the needed to be covered parts and left behind the bathroom, shutting the light behind her. She blinked against the darkness suddenly assailing her senses, resting against the doorframe until, her eyes adjusted to the ambiance around her.<p>

She started into the room, halting as her feet came into contact with the corner edge of thick material. Shifting her attention to the floor, she found Castle asleep beside the bed, wrapped tightly in the scratchy comforter. She bit down on her lip, as a sensation, lost in the haze of recent events, weaved its way into her heart. Trying to ignore the ache, she climbed into bed and pulled over the covers, digging her head into the pillow. She closed her eyes tight, the desire to find her way into his arms needling her heart. Fresh tears sung her to sleep, a single thought on her mind. _I love you._


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle.

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><p>Co-authored by <strong>HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

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><p>"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival."<p>

-C. S. Lewis

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><p><span>Chapter Five<span>

He stared at his face in the bathroom mirror. The dark circles under his eyes were darker, two nights of restless sleep, leaving him more a shell than a person. She had thought he was asleep, thought he had drifted off into the land of dreams but, he had been awake, awake and staring blindly at the discolored wall paint, his mind endlessly replaying the words _it haunts me_. He leaned against the cracked tile sink, the twist in his stomach growing tighter as he recalled her quiet sobs in the night, the sound bringing his heart and soul, to their knees. He had longed to reach out to her, to cradle her in his arms, gently kiss away every tear until she drifted to sleep.

Castle cupped his hands beneath the cold water, splashing it against his face, the temperature raising goose bumps on his skin. Reaching for a hand towel, he dried his face and ran a hand through his still wet hair. Turning from the sink, he reached for his coat jacket slipping it on, as Kate grabbed the keys to the truck. She cast him a quick glance before heading to the door, hand on her weapon as she stepped into the morning sun. He followed behind his own eyes searching the scenery as they walked the short block to the small road side café.

"We need a plan. A next step," she started, drawing his attention away from the cars passing on the street outside. "We need to be proactive rather than reactive. We can't afford another day, just running." She avoided his gaze, turning her own to the window. "We go to Washington."

"Kate," her name spilled from his lips in concern before he could rein it back, his hand starting for hers. She turned her head back from the window, the same look from the day before on her face. He dropped his gaze to the coffee in front of him, pulling his hand back to grip the warm ceramic mug. "He's in Washington. We would be walking right into his claws if we go there."

He ran his thumb along the sides of the cup, his worried heart begging him to keep her safe. He could hear each breath she took across from him, the deep intakes of air denoting deep thought. He tried to keep his own breathing steady, the images of her falling into the hands of the enemy consuming him into a distraught mess. He felt her hand find his, her fingers closing around his own in light grip, the motion clearing the nightmares from his mind.

"Rick." The softness in her voice lifted his head, a small glimmer of hope threading its way into his veins. He could see the pleading glint in her eyes. "There is no other choice. We have to bring the fight to him." She squeezed his hand, waiting for him to respond.

"Paris is a choice, Kate. Rome is a choice. London, Moscow, Madrid; all are choices," Castle stated quietly, removing his hand from beneath hers, the tendril of hope crushed by the heart sickening fears settling back into his soul. "Hell, I would fly us to the Antarctic, if it meant you would be safe from harm," he pleaded, as her gaze dropped from his. "Please, Kate."

"I go with or without you, Castle," she started, gripping her coffee in both hands and, looking out the window before removing herself from the booth. "Look," she continued, avoiding his eyes. "I am going back to the motel. See if the owner has directions to the closest department store. I need to get at least one more change of clothes," she finished, heading towards the door.

He listened to the sound of her steps receding into the distance, his attention focused on the liquid cooling in his hands. He swallowed back the lump in his throat, calling for the check. Leaving more than enough to cover the bill, he started after her, his eyes averted to the cracked sidewalk at his feet as he caught up to her, coming into step at her side.

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><p>Side by side, they walked back to the motel, united in silence and united in a common goal. Side by side, they collected the few belongings in their room and picked up Castle's bed. Side by side and after getting directions, they checked out with the grouchy manager and they shared their first real smile in days. They laughed as they walked side by side to the truck, making jokes at the poor man's expense.<p>

Castle opened the door for her, lightly resting his hand at the small of her back as she got in the passenger seat. He did it without thinking, a habit; he was a gentleman after all. Not having the opportunity to open the door for Kate that often, he nearly pulled his hand back at unexpected heat that rushed through him and burned his fingers. He didn't though, that heat was a constant through all the pain, burning hot and steady, the eternal flame. In the few seconds his hand rested there, he could feel the muscles in her back tighten but she didn't pull away.

Settling in her seat, she thanked him and buckled her seatbelt, trembling slightly at the intense pleasure she felt. She watched him jog around to the driver's side with a small spring in his step, slide into the drivers' seat and give her a heart stopping smile. "This feels so much more manageable now that there is a plan. Plus, road trip!"

She rewarded him with an eye-roll and a smile, happy with this new approach, for now.

* * *

><p>Once at the store they separated to collect what they needed with plans to meet back at the front of the store in fifteen minutes or so. Kate moved with efficiency and collected a pair of jeans, a few plain t-shirts and then moved down the aisles to get socks and underwear. She grabbed a package of plain white socks and then rested her hand on the package of plain white bikini bottoms. She hesitated, wondering if she should find something nicer, just in case. Glancing at the scratchy nylon options hanging on racks beside her, she decided to pass and picked up original package. Judging by the hands on her watch, the fifteen minutes were nearly up and she hurried back to meet Castle so he wouldn't worry, as she knew he would. Halfway back she realized she had no way of paying for the clothes she held in her hands. Her steps slowed, her heart sank and she was launched back into the depths of despair. <em>How could she have forgotten?<em> Or had she chosen to forget, her mind blocking out that small fact. That small fact that symbolized all that had happened in the past few days, the severance from her life, her reality.

Reaching Castle, who had a similar pile of jeans, plain t-shits, socks and boxers, her eyes were downcast and her voice quiet as she admitted, "I don't have any money Castle."

He had never felt shorter in his life, she had never sounded younger and he had never wanted so much to draw her into his arms and hold her tight. He shifted the clothes in his arms and used his free hand to lift her chin so that her eyes met his. "Hey, it's ok. I knew that already." He tried to convey with his eyes what he, Richard Castle, could not seem to convey with words. "Plus, I should probably be giving you some portion of the Nikki Heat profits, if not for the books but for the movie. So consider this the first installment. Now we need toiletries and snacks."

He quickly found a cart and dumped his clothes in the bottom before he did the same with hers. He pushed the rattling cart along and she could do nothing but follow. When she caught up he turned to her, a sly smile on his face, "So bikini bottoms then? Not commando?"

She countered by peeking in the cart. "What, you couldn't find any silk boxers?"

"Not in this fine establishment but hopefully we can find a toothbrush or two."

They picked up a couple toothbrushes, deodorant and a single tube of toothpaste. That single tube of tooth paste spoke volumes; it was so domestic, so familial, and so normal. They went up and down the aisles, Castle leaning his forearms on the cart and intermittedly grabbing things from the shelves. Kate kept pace beside him, watching him and seeing a side of him that she had never seen before, much less thought of. At one point he caught her staring and gave her a questioning look in return.

She blushed. "I just never thought of you shopping."

"How do you think I got food in the house?"

"I don't know…you're a famous author, I just didn't connect that image with the image of you shopping…" She trailed off, it was ridiculous, but she had said it now, no going back.

He was laughing at her, but it was a good laugh, his love bubbling with every throaty chuckle. "It's my favourite chore; Alexis and I used to have so much fun grocery shopping. The cart would become a pirate ship, a rocket, a submarine…"

She could imagine them wrecking havoc in the store, it was a great image and so very Castle. "And now?"

"Alexis doesn't often come with me except to read the gossip magazines so I keep the stories to myself. But, I will always have the memories and I can make new ones, here, with you." He paused, gauging her reaction before he started, "This is your captain speaking. It's a balmy room temperature in the store today. We will be landing in a few minutes at checkout number one. Please fasten your seatbelts. Thank you for flying Air Castle. Have a nice day."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

* * *

><p>Co-authored by <strong>HPFan1952<strong> and** JasmineBelle7**.

* * *

><p>"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will, which I now exert to leave you."<p>

-Charlotte Bronte, _Jane Eyre_

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><p><em><span>Chapter Six<span>_

Esposito and Ryan sat at their desks the next morning, exhausted and emotionally drained. They had spent the previous day making sure Martha and Alexis were safe, after which they spent the evening and well into the night meticulously going through the evidence from the two apartments. They had set the women up at Lanie's house so that the three women could look out for each other. In all honesty, Esposito did not want Lanie to be all by herself and since she was damned if she was going to let him stay over and 'protect' her, this way she could 'protect' Alexis and Martha.

The boys sat there with heavy hearts and with no inclination whatsoever to start on the paperwork in front of them, flinching every time they heard the phone ring praying that it would not be a case. Every time though, a little spark of hope would wiggle into their hearts and they would pounce on the phone only to be disappointed when it wasn't Kate or Castle.

The morning dragged as they searched through Kate and Castle's phone records and transaction history that had abruptly ended two nights ago. When Gates checked in with them, they pretended to be working hard and, at the same time, covered for their friends' absence. Two "personal" days were getting suspicious and people could already be seen around the precinct collecting on bets based on the assumed relationship status of Castle and Beckett.

They knew they should find it funny but they just couldn't, not yet. Maybe they would when the whole ordeal was put to rest. But, at the moment, while people all around them had visions of the pair walking into the precinct hand in hand, cheeks rosy and looking well loved, all they could see were the two apartments in shambles and the projection screen torn in unprecedented violence.

Carefully making their way through the call logs they saw all the times Castle had called Kate and the hundreds of texts from him as well. They knew something had been going on between the two of them in the days before they went missing, but they hadn't guessed at how big it was or how mad Kate had been. They did not find a message from Kate back to him. It was Ryan's guess that the silence from Kate and the begging from Castle had something to do with the information their boy Castle had been keeping from Kate.

"Seriously bro, why did he tell you about it?" There was no anger in Esposito's voice, just a quiet longing for some understanding.

Ryan's response was tired from the secret he had kept. "You and Kate are close; he probably figured you'd tell her."

"And you didn't? Why?"

"I didn't want to feel the wrath of Detective Beckett; she can be really scary you know. " Ryan sighed, "No, in all seriousness I thought he was right not to tell her, not then anyways."

After a beat or two, they glanced back at the sheets of paper in front of them; eyes drawn to the highlighted call from Kate to her father made a few days before she disappeared but after the numerous calls from Castle had started. It reminded them that they had still not heard back from the man.

They had called him the night before, hoping he had heard from Kate. Unfortunately, he hadn't heard from her since a tearful conversation with his daughter a few nights before. She had been overwhelmed and Jim had suggested taking a few days off; relaxing at the cabin so as to find her footing and whatever peace she had found at the end of the summer. Again, the boys wondered if it could really be that easy, could she really just be relaxing at the cabin unaware of the destruction back in New York? But, it didn't fit, the story didn't make sense and there were too many questions to be asked and not enough answers.

* * *

><p>She pushed herself back against the headboard and reached for a pillow, hugging it close as she stared at the still relatively new surroundings around her, her mind anywhere but, in the present. She allowed her gaze to rove over to the pair of suitcases tucked into a far corner, stuffed to the brim with the necessities needed to remain in their current location for weeks on end. A hotel would have been simpler but, the boys' fear of the persons responsible returning for them had been convincing enough to land both her and her Grandmother into a form of hiding all their own. She released of puff of air and shifted her attention to the window, evening light peaking through a small crack under the blinds. She barely noticed the knock on the door frame.<p>

"You want to talk about it?"

Alexis paid little heed as a weight pulled down the edge of the bed, her mind consumed with thoughts of miles, mayhem, and worse. She shifted slightly against the wood frame and concentrated on the sounds from the streets below.

"You know if you're ready to strangle someone, you're not alone," continued Lanie. "Believe me when I say, the minute we find those two, I'll be given them both a piece of my mind to feast on. Running off in the middle of the night without so much as a clue as to where they're going."

"My Dad never would have done that if it wasn't for her." She held her breath, the words slipping from her mouth before her mind could filter them. She turned to face the woman watching her, a single brow raised at her comment. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Sweetie, you have every right to be angry," Lanie started after a few moments silence. "But, blaming Kate isn't going to change the current situation. I know you might not want to hear this but, your Father is a grown man capable of making his own choices."

"I know." Alexis dropped her head down to stare at the bedding and took in a deep breath, calming the sudden venom that had prompted her outburst. "I don't hate her," she continued returning her attentions to Lanie. "I really don't." She paused looking towards the window before taking a second deep breath and returning her gaze to the pillow in her arms. "It's just the closer, my Dad gets to her, the closer to danger he comes. And, now- "

She halted her words, the idea of putting the concept into spoken thought making it that much harder to bear. Several minutes of silence ticked by; punctuated only by the sounds of car horns and sirens filtering in from the world of rush hour traffic below. Alexis tightened her grip around the pillow, wishing she could close her eyes and wake to find it all a bad dream and her Dad poking his head in to check up on her. It was one thing to know he left on purpose but, a whole different reality to know exactly what that purpose was; the knocking on danger's door.

"We are all worried about them, sweetie," Lanie continued, pulling her from her quiet reveries. She raised her attention to focus on her, taking a third deep breath to still the fears. "But, there is one thing I can promise you, we will do everything in our power to find them and bring them back safe. And, if I know anything about my friend, she will not let anything happen to your Father unless it's over her dead body," she added, rising up from the corner of the bed. "I know this is hard, Alexis. But, if you need to talk I'm here and, so is your Grandmother."

Alexis nodded her head silently in thanks, remaining steadfast until the other women left the room. Scrunching back down onto the mattress, she rolled to her side, the pillows still scrunched in her arms. She forced her eyes closed, trying her best to push back the images trying to flood her; the tendrils of sleep slow to come.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

* * *

><p>Co-authored by <strong>HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

* * *

><p>"Now it was the Alchemist's turn to laugh. 'Ho, Magnus," he cackled grimly, 'does the heat burn? Does it shrivel and blast? Is this more painful than death, oh vile and deceitful wraith? Until I die of the sickness I am quite able to keep you in such torture-in fact, it will hearten me and keep me in a merry humor till the end.'"<p>

-Robin Jarvis, _The Alchemist's Cat_

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><p><span>Chapter Seven<span>

She gathered her hair up in one hand, tugging it lose from beneath the oversized sweatshirt before turning towards the sink. Gathering her discarded clothes, she started for the door, her heart dropping in her chest; beyond the bathroom walls reality awaited her, the laughter and ease of the morning left behind at the D. C. city limits. She braced her heart and exited the bathroom, her eyes catching sight of the makeshift bed on the floor. She turned her gaze to the silent figure in the corner, his attention focused on the game of solitaire before him on the rounded table.

"You don't have to sleep on the floor at my expense," Kate started, dropping her gaze to the floor and cupping the bundle of clothes closer to her as she bit down on her lip.

"Doesn't seem right. I would be out of place."

"As long as you didn't try any funny business. You wouldn't be," she added as she raised her head, hoping to pull his attention, earn a classic innuendo, bring back the lightness of the day.

"I appreciate the thought," Castle responded simply, his attention remaining on the cards.

She took in a deep breath and placed her clothes on the edge of the bed. She made her way to the table and eased into the remaining chair, casting a glance at the shopping bag on the bed.

"Thank you, for coming with me, Rick," she said, returning her gaze to him.

"I…I care about you." He paused and returned his stack of cards to the table, his hands falling to his lap as his shoulders dropped low. "I would never forgive myself if I let you go into this fight alone." He pushed back his chair and got to his feet. "I'm going for walk." Castle reached for his jacket, draped over the back of the chair. "You should probably get some sleep, if you want to start surveillance tomorrow." He passed her chair and out into the night air.

Kate placed her head in her hands and took in a deep breath, fighting back the tears threatening to spill over. Steeling her heart she removed herself from the chair, casting a single glance at the door before heading to the bed. Climbing beneath the covers, she rested her head on the pillow keeping the emotions at bay until her mind finally drifted into a fitful sleep, her thoughts on the vacant stare in his eyes as he walked away from her and the ever present tomorrow.

* * *

><p><em>She walked steadily down the darkened hallway, muted lights flickering menacingly around every corner. She could not name what she was seeking yet somehow she knew, somehow she knew exactly where she was headed. As she rounded the last corner, she saw the open doorway at the end of the road, moonlight seeming to be the only light emanating from it. This is it, she thought nearing the entryway. She placed a hand over the weight of the weapon at her side, assuring herself of its presence. Heart beating as steadily as a drum she stepped over the threshold, fire written in every feature of her. The man waited patiently for her in front of tall wide windows, his hands clasped behind his back, his face completely in shadow, despite the abnormally large full moon blazing through. She drew her gun, a finger itching to raise it and fire. The shadowed figure only stared back at her and made no attempt to run. A laugh stared to rumble from his chest, though it seemed to come from everywhere at once. <em>

"_You have come to seek justice," a voice reverberated inside and outside her head. "How noble of you," it continued its silky voice slithering threw the marrow in her veins, each word a shift in the hypnotic dance. "So very noble in deed. So how to you plan to do it? Shoot me in cold blood? Make yourself no better then I. No," the voice seemed to defile the image of a smile. "No, mommy would not have liked that. Not liked that all. So perhaps arrest me, just like that. Place me behind little bars until, my money gets me out." The voice gave a cruel chuckle but, she stood her ground keeping the determined expression set on her features. "You do not seem to fear me. Brave. Brave but, stupid. I am your worst nightmares. And, I can make you life a living hell and not lift a finger." He shifted his position as if reaching for something._

_She made to raise her gun, but found it was gone, vanished into the thin air. The laugh echoed once more shifting from the cruel jest of man to the guttural rumbles of a beast. Turning her attention back to the man at the window, she found herself taking a step back as the figure seemed to shift shape. He grew in size beginning to fill the room with a dark black mass. And, then the room was no more, she was surrounded by blackness, the only light a blood red glow emanating from the blood red eyes of the beast, its wings spread wide encompassing it seemed the whole of the void, its long neck arched downwards so that it's feral gaze could pierce right through her. Heat beat against her from all sides, heat so intense it did not seem possible to exist on earth. _

"_You failed, Detective," spoke 'the dragon,' raising sharp front claws, the blood from the innocents it had killed dripping into pools on the floor. "Welcome to hell." It snapped its talons together into a tight fist. A pain shot through her heart, sending her to her knees clawing her hands over her chest in primal fear. She doubled over from the damning pain, naked in the dark, hair sliding in front of her face, tears spilling from her eyes. Pulling her hands away, she looked down both were covered in crimson life; her life. The guttural laugh echoed into frenzy as the beast arched back its head its jaws opened wide to reveal the light of burning fires deep in its throat. She crossed her arms over her chest and bent low as the flames of hell burst forth from the maw of the beast. She tried to block her ears from the piercing scream pouring into the dark world, until she realized it was coming from her…_

She woke from her own blood curdling scream, clawing madly at the strength surrounding her. She fought against the heat seeping into her skin, pushing and shoving, panting for air, trying in vain to remove herself from the tight hold around her. She dug her nails deep into the soft flesh beneath her palm, ready to rip away skin and muscle. The warmth only held her tighter, applying a gentle pressure to her skull, holding her head against soft yet solid form, cradling her.

"Kate. Kate it's me."

She dug her nails deeper, until her mind registered his gentle whispers. She pulled away from his shoulder, blinking until the room came into focus, her heart racing in her chest. Tangled bedding twisted all around her middle, while tangled hair clung to tear stained cheeks. His arms loosened their grip allowing her to turn her head to face him, the ambient light pouring in through the door illuminating half of his features. Her eyes met his concerned gaze; the need to protect, the need to comfort shattering through the broken stare she had seen only hours earlier. She released her grip on his neck, her fingers sliding through a thin layer of liquid. She held her breath as she brought palm upright into the light; crimson stained four of the five fingers.

"Rick."

"I'll live." Castle brought a hand up to grasp hers, running his thumb over her up turned palm, easing the tension in her hand. "Are you alright?" She nodded her head, taking in deep a breath to steady her heart rate. He shifted positions until his back rested against the head board, gently easing her along until she rested against his chest, her head resting over his heart.

Kate quietly listened to the beat of his heart, the rise and fall of his chest lulling her eyes closed. She snuggled closer, the fabric of his shirt bunching around the contours of her face as his arms tightened their hold, the warmth erasing the remaining chill of the nightmare in her veins and pushing away the trails of the last few days. She felt him bury his face in her hair, his whispers lost to her mind as she sunk back into the realm of slumber.

* * *

><p>Kate felt sleep slipping away and she pushed to the surface of consciousness. She struggled to open her eyes; they felt swollen and hot, so she just left them shut and stayed oblivious to the world. Her throat felt so raw and her chest heavy as if something heavy was pressing down on it. She struggled to draw a breath and forced herself to breathe easily and deeply. There was something else; a dark cloud that enveloped her like the warmth of the blankets that surrounded her body. But, that warmth, there was something missing in that warmth…And it all came rushing back, Castle leaving, the horrible, terrifying dream and Castle returning, anchoring her to the world again. Now, there was no warm, strong, living, beating, breathing man beside her. She moaned then, softly, past the scratchy sore throat, knowing that she had to open her eyes and face the day and face Castle. She forced them open, rubbed the sleep and the tears from them and tried to focus.<p>

Castle sensed she was awake more than he heard her, he sensed the subtle shifting and the slight change in breathing like the tide changed with the pull of the moon. He didn't move from his position on the floor where he lay, trying to get the crick out of his neck that he had gotten from sleeping sitting up against the headboard. He didn't want to disturb her, scare her, and have her retreat behind her wall again. When he heard her moan though, he scrambled to his feet, a little too fast and his head spun. Catching himself on the wall, he saw her, still struggling awake with her hair fanned out on the pillow around her, wild and free. She was beautiful. He stood there for a second before he went to grab a cup of coffee for her, start her day off perfectly.

He sat down on the bed and handed her the cup of coffee as she pushed herself into a sitting position against the headboard. It may have only been hotel coffee but the act warmed her heart and the hot, strong liquid burned down her throat to warm up her brain. She smiled widely at him; she didn't think she was ever more thankful than at this moment for the cup of coffee. But, that smile quickly faded when she saw the deep pink marks hiding just underneath the collar of his shirt. Her hands shook spilling drops of coffee on the bed spread to join the rust coloured marks from the wounds she had inflicted the night before. She closed her eyes; she had done that to him and didn't want to see it. His hands were on hers then, cupping them, steadying the cup of coffee and calming her nerves.

"Castle, I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's ok, I'm just glad that you weren't alone, that I didn't stay out for any longer, that I didn't take that last trek around the block."

She shook her head, hoping to forget or pretend it didn't happen. "I mean about your neck; I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know, I think I would know if you really wanted to hurt me and, in that case I probably wouldn't still be standing." He moved his hands, taking the cup of coffee from hers to put it on the night stand. He held her hands now, his thumbs tracing circles in the palms before he moved up her arms lightly rubbing them as if her were warming her up. He was in a way thawing her out, breaking the icy pain that overwhelmed her at times. She finally opened her eyes and he stopped, a sly smile breaking out. "You can always kiss it better if you want."

She hesitated, honestly considering it for a moment; she felt so guilty and wanted to so badly. She resisted though and instead took a closer look, realizing it really wasn't too bad, a few scratches really. "Nah, you'll live," she teased to match his tone and reached for her coffee, gulping it down.

* * *

><p>They were sitting on the steps of The Capitol, eating hot dogs they had bought from a street vendor. Kate watched as Castle licked mustard from the corner of his mouth, momentarily distracted by his tongue darting out and losing herself a little to fantasy after the close and comfortable morning they had spent together.<p>

After driving in from their motel they had walked around downtown searching for a place to eat breakfast. They stayed close to each other, bumping in to one another in the throngs of people. At one point Castle had grabbed her hand to keep her from getting lost and he hadn't let go right away. She hadn't been the one to pull away either, she let him hold it for the few second until someone else pushed between them in the rush hour pedestrian traffic and forced them to separate.

They had breakfast, or really more like brunch after she dragged him away from the doors of the Smithsonian, at a diner where they casually chatted and planned their next move. Getting cash wired from Castle's "money man" was the first order of business and then they had spent the morning at a library. They used the computers to dig through public record in attempts to find out what they could about Senator Peter Sherman. This was the man who they were now waiting for on the steps and the man whose name Mr. Smith had left for Kate and Castle. That name and the address, 42 Wallaby Way, Washington DC, was all he had given them.

They hadn't found much of interest. In the past few years it was all political articles, platforms, benefits, and Opera nights with his wife at his side. What was more interesting is what they hadn't found, the lack of articles around the time Johanna Beckett was murdered and there was a hole 7 years before that as well, when it all started. There were a few general press statements and a people's interest piece that showed him taking his kids to school, but other than that his life was empty, a vast unknown.

So, here they were, sitting on the steps, searching and watching to start adding some edge pieces to the puzzle. They sat there long after their on-the-go dinner was finished, as the air began to cool and the sun began to turn the sky and the clouds pink as it set.

"I guess he's not the nine to five kind of guy," Castle joked, breaking the silence.

"I guess not."

Silence again, but still comfortable. A few more minutes passed, the birds chirping a soft haunting song, before they finally saw Senator Sherman walking down the steps in his conservative suit.

Castle sensed Kate freeze beside him, he could not even tell if she was breathing, even as he looked from her to the man in front of them. The man passed them now, nearly at the bottom of the steps, and was heading towards the sleek black car whose driver Kate and Castle had momentarily spoken to earlier.

"Kate?"

No answer.

He lightly reached for her, placing his hand on her back and spoke quietly to her. "Kate, do you want to talk to him? What do you want to do?"

She directed the cold, previously silent, fury at him now. "Stop treating me like I am fragile."

He stood up and stepped away from her; the woman ran hot one minute and cold the next and his head spun from the abrupt changes. "I am treating you like someone who woke up in a complete panic from some nightmare you just had. You didn't see your eyes last night. You were lost to me, just as lost as when you were riding in the ambulance last spring."

They watched the car drive away down the block, their window of opportunity gone. "You know what, don't bother, and don't bring up last spring again, that's cheap."

"You're not mad at me, you're mad at yourself for freezing. You know what, it's ok, deal with it, and we'll make a new plan."

"Whatever. Let's just go."

"Don't you 'whatever' me. We're partners in this; we'll get through this together." He put his hand on her arm to connect them again, unite them, but she threw it off and stalked to the car.

It was another silent drive home, an oldies radio station playing softly in the background. It was the perfect soundtrack for the roller coaster of emotions they were riding. It was a wild ride of ups and downs, moments of carefree happiness as they went up and then their stomachs dropped as they hurtled down upside down in moments of pain, confusion and terror. Their ride had come to the end for the moment; it was stopped at the beginning again, in silence as they waited for the myriad of emotions that were the passengers to come aboard before the upward climb could begin again.

That night they both slept in the bed, backs turned away from each other, not knowing what to say to each other. But, while they slept, their bodies turned to each other in the darkness of their own accord. Their legs were entwined, her nose was pressed into his broad chest and their hands met in the middle. This quiet comfort was something they invariably both needed and their roller coaster ride began that upward climb.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

* * *

><p>Co-authored by <strong>HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

* * *

><p>"It's so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn't it?"<br>- Lucy Maud Montgomery, _Anne of Green Gables_

"The goblins of her fancy lurked in every shadow about her, reaching out their cold, fleshless hands to grasp the terrified small girl who had called them into being."  
>- Lucy Maud Montgomery, <em>Anne of Green Gables<em>

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><p><span>Chapter Eight<span>

He stared out over the darkening lawn at the dog as it sniffed around the bushes to find just the right spot to do its business and then ran around the yard chasing some imaginary foe. To be a dog, he thought, to have an imaginary foe, it would be so much easier than what his life had been reduced to now. It was all catching up with him, his past colliding with his present and the future slipping away. He'd seen the girl today, and her man was with her. That in itself certainly didn't make it any easier on him, to see that strong beautiful love and knowing he had to get in the middle of it.

He wished more than anything to find a fraction of that same love with his own wife. All he truly wanted now was to retire and move with her to Florida, Palm Springs perhaps. They could reconnect and fall in love again, relax and grow old together. Maybe play some bridge and join a lawn bowling league or a golf club. They could get some travelling in while they were still young as well and spend some time visiting their children who were spread out all over the country. Their oldest girl was twenty- seven now and living in Seattle. She was married to a sweet man and they had a little boy about 9 months old. How he and Julie longed to go visit them more often as little Jeremy changed so much each time they saw him. Their second daughter was living in New-York with her fiancé and their wedding was planned for the end of August. He thought about how nice it would be to visit her as well as go back to his old stomping grounds too and catch up with guys he hadn't seen in years. And, their baby boy was now at Yale, the last baby bird had left the nest. As the deepening twilight filled the backyard he let his dreams run free and expanded their travels to Europe; Paris in the spring, India, Egypt, New Zealand, the possibilities were endless. How he wished it would all go away and he could just be with his family. Now, especially that their youngest son had started university in the fall, their house was empty and silent, and the gap that had grown between him and Julie was obvious. He more than anything wanted to bridge that gap.

He still loved her, for staying by his side through all the political ups and down, for their three children and for her bright smile that still made him weak at the knees all these years down the road. But, he wanted to fall in love with her again. And so for her and their children most of all, but also for hundreds of other innocent people and their families involved, he knew that he had to silence Johanna Beckett's daughter and destroy all the evidence. There was too much resting on the mistake he had made all those years ago.

His wife's father had called him in as he struggled to find his footing in the scary world of politics, asking him if he was looking for funding. He had two kids at the time and a third on the way so he hadn't hesitated. Little did he know then what he had bought himself into and who he was indebted to. It wasn't much he had had to do, pull a few strings cover a few things up and use a few contacts. He'd barely gotten his hands dirty. In the years that followed he hadn't paid much attention either, he'd made a few calls and paid a few bribes, but nothing major. It was nothing that he thought about for more than a few minutes. But, years later, after he had left New York, it had threatened to all be exposed. Then, there was too much at stake then and he had done what he had to do to cover it up. It was all on him now; he called the shots, ordering people about. He had done what he had to do to silence the issue once and for all, or so he thought.

Now, he knew they called him the dragon, a name that had started innocently enough in high school when he was on the debating team. It had popped up a few times in university and every now and then in the media, but in the small circle that had started this whole mess, it was his identity. What had started as something so seemingly meaningless to him had grown and grown as the number of people on both sides grew. One side tried to cover it up, squash it down, while the other side threatened to expose dark secrets and political scandal. It was all just a crazy mess that he was done with.

He knew the Texan would do the job when it came down to it. That man had followed the detective and her partner, tracked them to D.C., where they were now. Right now he was only concerned with cornering Kate Beckett and her writer, Richard Castle. He needed to find out how much they actually knew and who else was involved so that he could get rid of anything that might implicate him. After that, whether they lived or died it didn't matter to him, as long as he was free, free to retire and move down south with his wife.

His wife came up behind him when he finally called the dog back inside. She rested her head momentarily on his shoulder and, watching the dog run and tumble to the door; she let him know that dinner was ready if he was. Closing the door behind the dog, they walked hand and hand to the small table in front of the hearth where they often ate now. In the golden light, she looked young and innocent. It broke his heart to know what he had done could destroy her. It only made him all the more determined to put an end to it all, once and for all. It had gone on long enough.

* * *

><p>Kate shivered in the sudden loss of warmth, turning her head to look back at Castle as he continued to slumber on, her heart twisting as in his sleep he reached out for her. She turned away, running one hand through her hair, while she wrapped the other around her for heat. She pushed back the desire to return to his side and lifted herself from the mattress. She felt the tug on her spirit as she quietly made her way to the bathroom, the ghostly memory of his body against hers trying to overrule her need to plan for the day to come.<p>

She turned on the shower, adjusting the water to a semi-hot temperature, hoping the heat would remove the chill in her bones. Removing her clothes, she bit her lip as her heart reminded her of the feel of his limbs tangled with hers, his gentle puffs of air tickling her scalp. She shook her head and tossed the pile of laundry on the tiled floor. She stepped into the cascading water, its warmth reminding her of the cocoon she had woken in. She reached for the bar of soap; hoping movement would force the feelings back. She crinkled her nose, unable to stand the scent as her thoughts wafted back to the strong scent of him filling her lungs.

Rinsing quickly, she cut the water and stepped into the steam filled room. She reached for the towel hanging of the bar, cursing quietly as she realized she forgot to grab clean clothes. Drying off, she wrapped the towel about her middle and started for the door, fighting back the tempting thoughts trying to worm their way to the forefront of her mind. She peaked around the corner, ensuring he still remained asleep on the bed before slipping into the room. She made her way to the shopping bag, using the burgeoning morning light to find her way.

Kate dug into the bag, focusing on finding the pieces belonging to her to keep her thoughts from drifting in a direction she didn't need right now. She removed the towel, hastily throwing on her outfit for the day. She held her breath as Castle turned in his sleep, thoughts of him waking and finding her half dressed burning her cheeks warmer then she would have liked. She threw her blouse of her shoulders, buttoning it as fast as her fingers would allow. Sitting back in the chair at the table she searched the floor for her shoes, the concept of a walk in the crisp morning air growing more and more appealing as she worked to place them on her feet. She needed to focus, yesterday could not happen again. She needed a new plan. What she didn't need were thoughts of the man before her and spending the day just with him.

She reached for her jacket and headed to the door, checking to ensure she had her card key. The cool air chilled her skin as she stepped out on to the sidewalk. Closing the door behind her, she rested her hand on the weapon at her side and scanned the surrounding parking lot. Satisfied she was alone, she started down towards the street, following the road to a coffee shop she had seen the day before several blocks on down. Her mind began to come together to form her plans, as she set a brisk pace to the shop, her eyes noting the shadows in the thin layer of fog around her.

* * *

><p>He watched her leave her room alone, his face barely registering the perfectness of the moment. If someone asked him, he would tell them in no simple terms he would rather just kill them both and be done with it; dead men tell no tales, pirates really and truly knew what they were doing. But, the boss wanted them alive, and alive was how he would bring them. He reached for the soaked cloth on the passenger seat and waited for her to gain a full block's lead before slipping from his car and casually crossing the street. He knew she had a gun and the thought amused him; guns can only fight the opponent in front of you never the one behind, and there is no competing with a nice dose of chloroform.<p>

He ducked into the shadows between two buildings waiting for her to emerge from the coffee shop. He barely shifted against the cold, blinking little as the fog lifted and a stronger breach of sunlight warmed the world. She stepped from the shop, two cups in hand, determination written on her face and in her gait as she started back for the motel. Straightening himself against the wall, he waited until she passed his hiding place before, preparing to spring. He took his first predatory steps forward, raising the cloth in his right hand.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

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><p>Co-authored by<strong> HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

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><p>Hateful to me as are the gates of hell,<br>Is he who, hiding one thing in his heart,  
>Utters another.<br>- Homer, _The Iliad_

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><p><span>Chapter Nine<span>

She heard the soft crunch of shoes on stone. Halting her progress, she turned her focus on the sounds around her, listening for the quiet sound to repeat itself. She prepared herself to fight, ready to drop the cup in her right hand in a moment's notice to reach for her gun. She took even breaths, keeping her heart beat steady, inching back the corner of her jacket with the back of her hand. She flit her gaze towards the reflection in the window front beside her, hoping to catch sight of her assailant without their notice. The soft crunch echoed again.

"Kate."

She nearly jumped at the sound of his voice, freezing her movements at the last second. She cast a quick glance at the path behind her, checking the edges of the alleyway for the tale tell shadow of someone laying in wait, before pulling her attentions to the man hop skipping his way to her, attempting to finish placing his shoe on his foot. Castle halted a few feet in front of her and took in several deep breaths. She studied him for a moment as he clamored for air, biting her lip at the obvious haste in which he had put himself to find her. His hair remained un-combed and his shirt hung half un-tucked, cuffs unbuttoned. She met his gaze, her breath catching in her throat as she found a mixture of fear and relief flooded in his eyes as he took her in.

"You didn't need to come after me, Castle," Kate started, choking back the desire to wrap her arms around him and warm away the remaining tendrils of worry from his frame. She felt her heart sink at the drop in his shoulders from her words. Steeling herself, she continued past, shoving his coffee towards him and releasing her grip as his took it. "Come on. I have a plan."

He fell in step beside her, his familiar gait a reminder of his dedication to her and any cause she took on. She swallowed back the lump growing in her throat and focused on explaining the plan she had set in mind while waiting for their coffees to be prepared. They would tail the beast, find his hiding spots, and learn who he was in shady dealings with. He listened quietly as she laid out the newest tactic, his attention focused blindly on the drink in his hands as they climbed into the truck. She turned over the engine and pulled out into the street, a now familiar silence falling as she made her way towards Capitol Hill. Step one of Plan B.

* * *

><p>He pulled back the moment he heard the writer's voice cut into the morning air, drawing back his hand to his side. He tucked the cloth back into his pocket and waited until their footsteps receded into the distance before stepping onto the sidewalk. He maintained a cool distance behind them, acting as if he were no more than a stranger to pass on the street. Crossing to his car, he started down the street, making a right at the stop light, and pulling up to the curb.<p>

Whether or not they crossed into his line of sight, he didn't care. He knew where they would be heading, this whole situation was drawing that woman like a moth to a flame; it was written in her eyes as she passed him in the alley. And, like a moth to a flame, she would burn in her own foolishness, taking that pathetic excuse for a man with her. Hopefully, the boss would give him the go ahead to kill them after all was said and done, he would enjoy bringing them down from their high horses. He barely allowed a smile as he watched their car cross into view and turn in the direction that would lead them to them to the heart of the nation's capitol.

Waiting for several other cars to make the same turn to allow a well placed spacer, he turned his car over from idle, made a u-turn and followed them down the same street. He would take a different exit and different side streets but, he would locate them at the Congressional buildings, follow them from there. And, the moment just one them wandered off alone, he would strike. If he missed his chance again, he would just wait again. He was patient, his moment would come; and judging by the way these two had been acting there would be many more times one of them would be wandering off alone. Ah, love makes many a fool turn stupider.

* * *

><p>In that silence now, Kate was fuming to herself, barely paying attention to her surroundings, only enough to keep the car going where she wanted without causing serious damage. She had gone to get the coffee as a peace offering, to apologize to the perfect man who stood by her. She even had a little speech prepared. He had to go and ruin it, by being perfect of course. Sure, it was sweet that he was so concerned, but it made surprising the man a little hard. She sighed, louder then she meant apparently since Castle sent her a questioning look, which she ignored. She supposed that given the situation he may have been justified in being worried about her. Then again, if she knew her messed up head well enough then she was probably just as mad at herself for wanting Castle so badly in that moment. That sight of him half dressed, or undressed, depending on which way you wanted to look at it, had pushed all other thoughts out of her mind. She had focused instead on the concrete, the logical, something with no emotions.<p>

Castle watched the gears turning in her head. "Don't hurt yourself."

The words brought her out of the fog, "What?"

"You're thinking so hard I'm afraid you're going to hurt yourself or something."

She smiled at him and that smile made the wisps of his panic from the morning float away.

He had seen her step around the corner of the room that morning and had stopped himself from saying 'good morning' when he saw she was only wearing a towel. He'd watched her through his half shut eyes, so beautiful in the early morning light. But, knowing she would kill him if she knew he was watching her, he shut his eyes tightly, listening to the rustle of clothing. He must have fallen back asleep because when he woke up, who knows how much later; he'd had no idea where she was, or how long she had been gone. It was then that he scrambled to throw some clothes on and blindly run out the door to find her. The relief he had felt when he saw her standing there on the sidewalk rivaled the many other times he had feared for her life. He'd barely registered the coffee that she had given him and, hadn't registered what it meant until now.

Heart warmed he said, "Thanks for the coffee."

She took her eyes from the road for a second to look into his and communicate her little speech. "You're welcome." She turned her eyes back to the road as they reached their exit and heard him let out his breath in relief, a sigh of happiness.

They ended up parking their car a ways from Capitol Hill; they both agreed that the truck was too obvious. The orange was too easy to spot and too easy for people to remember. What they really needed was another car but it was just as potentially dangerous for them to get a new car. It could be easy to track. In the meantime, they walked across the street to call a taxi from a hotel lobby.

They spent the day following the Senator around the city, at safe distance of course. They started up a few casual conversations finding out a few, mostly unimportant, bits of information. Castle chatted up the journalists as well. Using his "I'm a writer and I want to make it authentic" line to get some more relevant information.

Finally at the end of the day, earlier than the day before, they followed the man to a quiet, upscale neighbourhood. The taxi dropped them off just down the street and they hurried to get close enough to see which his house was. They were risking it all, but they felt like they needed to be this close, to feel the dragon's heat. They were close enough to see him let himself into his house and close enough to hear the dogs barking from inside the door. At that, Kate and Castle looked at each other, shuddering almost. Dogs. Noted.

They were ducked behind the bushes, waiting, watching. No more than an hour later they saw a limo pull up in front of the house and the Senator and his wife leaving for the evening, dressed to the nines.

The second the limo had pulled away, Kate punched his arm, "Let go in."

"What?"

She pulled him up, "C'mon, we're going in."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

* * *

><p>Co-authored by<strong> HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

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><p>"As for that You must be reassured by the news I gave you."<p>

- Sophocles, _Oedipus Rex_

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><p><span>Chapter Ten<span>

Ryan knocked loudly at the door of Lanie's apartment. When it finally opened it was Espo's face that greeted him, annoyance evident in all his features. "Bro." He cocked his head at the couch where Lanie was sitting, two wineglasses on the coffee table.

"It could be important. Look." Ryan held up the files in his hands. "See, in addition to the automated transfers with Castle's accounts, there are other transfers that look automated but the amounts are even. And, they have never happened before."

"Could be something but...did you call anyone to find out?" He glanced back at Lanie, obviously anxious to get back to her.

"Banks are closed now." The look on Ryan's face was one of 'isn't it obvious?'.

"Right. Fine, let's see." Turning around he asked, "Lanie do you want to go grab Alexis?"

"Javi, no...we can't get her hopes up, she just a kid." Ryan's tone was warning him.

"We have to tell her about the cabin as well." Espo started, dropping his voice to a hiss when Alexis walked in.

"I'm eighteen, not a kid," she announced with indignation.

The boys looked guilty.

Lanie moved the wine glasses from the coffee table while the boys and Alexis sat on the couches and chairs around it. As the boys started telling Alexis about how Jim had called earlier telling them that the cabin was a mess and that the neighbour's truck had been stolen, Alexis looked pleadingly at Lanie. Lanie came to sit beside the girl and took her hand. They had slowly gown closer, holding onto the logical and rational science they practiced while they waited to hear any news.

Ryan finished, "We are planning to go check it out tomorrow. Jim made sure he didn't touch anything."

"Can I go?"

The boys shook their heads in protest while Lanie glared at Espo to let the poor girl go.

Alexis couldn't be more thankful for the support. She just wanted her mother. No, she felt like she should want her mother, how someone would feel if they wanted their mother, someone comforting to cry on and talk to. But, that wasn't her mother for her, it was her father. "Please, what if..." _What if he is there and something happened._

Lanie answered this time, sensing the girl's question, "He's not. Jim made sure of that."

She deflated a little; even knowing that he wasn't there, dead or hurt, it was still hard to hear. At least she would have known where he was. How desperate she had gotten if that is what she thought. "What if I can find something that you guys don't notice?

Ryan and Espo looked at each other. "That's actually what we wanted to talk to you about." They danced around her original question.

Ryan took the papers from Espo and handed them to Lanie and Alexis. "Here are your father's financial records. There are amounts that are automatically transferred out of his account for bills and other accounts but, there are new transactions that, while they are made to look automatic, the numbers are different. Any ideas?"

Esposito added, "We'll call the bank tomorrow."

Alexis shook her head. "They won't know much. I can maybe find the phone number of the guy who handles my dad's accounts."

Ryan thanked her and spoke softly, "We don't know if it means anything, but in our line of work an anomaly is a clue. All we need is something to run with and this is good."

* * *

><p>Alexis sat in the passenger seat staring at the open door of the cabin, now with crime scene tape across it, and the smashed windows. She had been sitting there for nearly an hour, barely moving. Now that she was here she couldn't make herself move, couldn't make herself see what had happened.<p>

Lanie, her presence so welcome, said soothingly, "We can always just go home. It's totally okay. Ryan and Ja...Esposito will tell us what they found."

Without a word Alexis opened the car door and Lanie scrambled to hurry after her.

She caught up to her at the front door of the house where Alexis was slumped against the door frame, staring at the holes in the wall in front of her. The gaping holes stared back at her, taunting her and ultimately saving her. Any hole in that wall was a hole not in her father...or Kate.

* * *

><p>The medium sized office appeared furnished to the nines. A large executive desk rested in front of a wide office window that over looked the bustling city five stories below. Two plush chairs rested in front of the desk at an angle, their deep cushions awaiting a chance to provide luxury to any person lucky enough to sit in them. In two different corners of the room, bamboo trees rested in ornate ceramic pots, while just above them pieces of original artwork hung on the walls. At the desk sat a young well dressed man, black hair cut perfectly around an angular face. He stood the moment the secretary announced their arrival, extending a hand in warm welcome.<p>

Esposito shook the man's hand first followed by Ryan as the both took seats in the chairs in front of the desk, blinking against the afternoon light shining in through the window, the small hope that this meeting would prove more fruitful then the Cabin search, weighing on his mind. And, though a license plate number gave them something, it could not provide them with the current location of their friends and colleagues. The accountant returned to his desk chair motioning for them to begin as he shifted the mouse to his computer seeking a particular piece of information.

"Mr. Wilson, we appreciate your willingness to meet with us on such short notice," Esposito started, calling the young man's attention back to the current situation. The accountant nodded his head and doubled clicked the mouse before, swiveling in his chair to face them.

"Of course. You said on the phone, this has something to do with my client, Mr. Castle?"

"Yes. Though we can't divulge too much concerning an ongoing investigation," Ryan continued, too which Mr. Wilson nodded his understanding. "But, we were hoping you could explain some inconsistencies in your client's financial records; specifically, a couple of recent withdrawals."

His partner made to hand over the bank statement, only to be halted mid step as the accountant held up a hand dismissing the need for the folded piece of paper.

"I appreciate the thought but, I don't need to see the documents to know exactly what you are referring too. The amounts should be for 150 and 300 respectively, made to appear as automatic transfers, per my client's request." Mr. Wilson folded his hands over his desk. "And, though normally I would not divulge more than that without my client's permission or a warrant, given Mr. Castle's respect for the NYPD, I am willing to tell you this. Though I am not sure why my client called requesting me to do this a few nights ago, I have been then wiring this money to particular locations he has denoted during quick call ins to my office over the last few days."

Esposito sat a little straighter in his chair. "Would you be willing to share where these funds were wired," he asked opening his notebook. Mr. Wilson looked between him, Ryan, and the computer monitor obviously debating on whether to divulge any more personal information on his client. "Mr. Wilson, we can get a warrant," he added, the need to learn their friends location, adding weight to his words, snapping the accountant from his quiet calculations.

"No. No that won't be necessary." The young man took one final look at the computer screen before bringing his full attention on them. "The last transfer was made yesterday to a Western Union in Washington, D.C. around noon, with the notation to be ready to possibly send more."

He looked to his partner, the same surprised expression written in his features. Thanking the accountant, they both got to their feet, leaving one final notation with the young man, should another request come in for a transfer, he notify them immediately. Heading out to the main corridor of the office building, they started for the elevators, emboldened in their search.

"You know we could use this as a means to get a message to them," Ryan started. "If Castle puts in another request, we could have the accountant give instructions to leave a notation for when the money gets picked up. We may not be able to hear back from them but, we can at least let them know we are here to help when the time comes and what's happening on our end."

Esposito nodded his head. "That's not a half bad idea. Let's head back to Lanie's, let them know what we've found out. It's not much but, at least the knowledge they are able to continue to send requests for money at least indicates they are still alive and not being held hostage."

"But, how long will that last." Ryan's question hung un-answered, the dread of the possibility sinking into their stomachs as they made their way to the bottom floor and out onto the bustling sidewalk.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

* * *

><p>Co-authored by<strong> HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

* * *

><p>"The anger became so hot it burned Kale's mind. It grew and lost control and surged out of the dragon's heart as rage. Celisse meant to return to the farm and avenge the deaths of her people."<p>

- Donita K. Paul, _Dragonspell_

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><p><span>Chapter Eleven<span>

Kate started for the side gate, checking to either side and to the street before taking a running start and jumping to reach for the top of the gate. She felt the tug on her scares as she pulled herself up and over, landing in a hunched position on the other side. She could hear the dog begin to bark at the disturbance and held her breath, hoping there was not a dog door. On the opposite side of the fence she heard Castle take in a deep followed the shake of the gate as he tried to scale it himself. She hissed at him to remain still until the dog stopped, waiting several heart beats until the barking finally settled inside the home before rising up from the ground.

Unlocking the gate, she allowed Castle into the side yard, motioning for him to take quiet steps before starting down the cement path leading to the backyard. As she rounded the corner, her foot landed on the rubber squeak toy hidden in the shadows sending the dog into another fit of barking, the sound of claws scratching at glass resounding into the evening air. She stepped up onto the back patio, standing well clear of the sliding glass door as the large German shepherd pounded its front paws against it, its sizable canines glaring in its pulled back jaws.

"Kate, maybe we shouldn't do this." She felt his hand rest lightly on her shoulder, trying gently to pull her back towards the side yard and gate. Tugging away from his grip, she turned towards the backyard her eyes searching for something to use amongst the brick a brack of the lawn.

"We need new leads, Castle," she started as she made her way towards the bushes lining the back fence, the rock bed providing an abundance of perfect tools to gain entry last minute. "And, now is the perfect chance to get them," she finished bending low to retrieve a medium sized stone.

"Kate, last time didn't go so well, remember," he pleaded, matching her step for step as she made her way back to the patio, by passing the sliding door and aiming instead for the French double doors, their glass panels looking in on a personal office space.

She raised the hand holding the stone. "Then we work a little faster."

She halted her fist at the sound of a slamming car door. The tendrils of an argument wafted over the house into the backyard along with the sound of the front door clattering shut behind the two occupants of the home. The argument continued into the house, every fifth word seemingly used to shush the dog, which despite its owner's abrupt return home continued to bark and claw at the back door. She gripped the stone in frustration, backing away from the house into the shadows of the yard. A light clicked on the in the kitchen forcing her to take the remaining distance at run.

Kate made the back fence first, her scars pulling as she hauled herself up. She stretched down a hand to help Castle, straining against the upward force needed to help him climb to the top. She heard the sound of the sliding glass door being slid open as she dropped down into the open land behind the house. Castle landed beside her, cursing as he landed wrong on his on his right foot and toppled onto his side. She shifted closer, resting a hand on his shoulder, just as the dog made the fence line the wood shaking against its force.

"Are you alright," she whispered. He shook his head in response before resting it back in the dirt. She swept a hand over his cheek, brushing the hair from his face. She held her breath as the dog started to dig at the dirt beneath the fence. "Do think you can stand?"

He paused for a moment before gritting his teeth and nodding his head. She eased him to his feet baring his weight on her shoulders as she pulled his arm over them. She started out into the open lot, Castle limping along beside her, the sound of the Senator calling the dog away from digging behind her and a distant side street in front of her. She grit her teeth against the strain and the anger, the knot in her stomach festering into her blood.

* * *

><p>The news was on in the background quietly telling them about a protest that blocked several downtown streets, rising oil prices and updating them on the preparations for the Olympics. They had slowly but surely made their way back to the hotel. A taxi brought them to the Money Mart where they sent a request in the minutes before it closed and then Kate drove them home, silence filling the car. It was thick silence; full of guilt, anger and pain. She had helped Castle to the bed where he was now resting his ankle on a towel, a bag full of ice draped over it.<p>

Kate's focus was on the television, it was almost too quiet to hear and she concentrated on the words instead of her racing thoughts. She focused on the screen, not bearing to look at the man beside her. She concentrated on breathing. That was enough, for now.

Castle on the other hand was acutely aware of the ice on his foot. The pain was gone, his foot totally frozen and there didn't seem to be any swelling. So now he was watching the ice cubes melting in the bag, ice cubes. After all this, all he was thinking about was ice cubes and the trick the woman beside him had once teased him about. Maybe it was the glance of her he had gotten this morning that had sent his mind wandering, maybe it was the pain that he couldn't feel anymore, or maybe it was keeping his mind off the events of the evening. Whatever it was, that's all he had. The ice cubes melting and the living breathing woman beside him that knew a thing or two, he was sure she knew at least two, with ice cubes.

Kate noticed him staring at his ankle, felt a little…a lot guilty all over again. He noticed her staring and met her gaze.

"So…" his voice was deep and husky. "You do this one thing with ice cubes?"

She flushed with the instant heat, the instant magnetic attraction that sprang up between them. He had leaned in close and she put a hand to his chest to separate them, to keep those few centimeters of space between them.

She spoke without thinking but meaning every word. "One day, one day you'll find out."

"One day?" He breathed the question.

The look she gave him and that he returned was answer enough. They were still separated by her hand on his chest and her fingers curled slightly with the heat that had sprung up so quickly between them. They didn't move, instead choosing to stay in the moment, saving it in their memories, and holding onto the promise of the future.

Eventually her gaze was drawn back to his ankle and the guilt came crashing back in waves. She clutched at his shirt, the pain evident on her face when she looked back to him. "I'm sorry."

His brain took a few second to catch up to the sudden change. "Kate, I'm fine. We're fine."

She took a deep breath and spoke haltingly. "You were right you know. You were right not to tell me. You knew I would go too far. You knew I would go over the edge like I did tonight. Thank you."

He didn't dare to breathe and interrupt the moment, another moment.

Finally, taking a deep breath, "I really did think I did the right thing to keep it from you and I also think I was right to tell you. You can handle it…we can handle it." He was repeating himself a little but if that's what it took for her to believe in herself and believe in them then he didn't mind. "You were right too though."

She looked surprised. "I was?"

He nodded. "We need something more than the nothing we have. We need some relevant information now and we need to make a move. It's been too long without anything to go on. We are floundering here." He leaned his head back against the wall but misjudged the distance and his head cracked loudly as it hit the wall.

It broke the tension as they laughed at his momentary pain.

Kate looked sideways at him. "Do we even have any options? Any leads? The address Smith gave us was not the Senator's address. We could have a go at that."

Castle nodded, his head rubbing against the wall. "Cab drivers might now and we could check out old maps of the city."

She looked sideways again, nodding slightly. "What about Mr. Smith. He sent us all this way; he must have something to say?"

"He contacts me…"

Kate gave him a look.

"But I do know the number." He smiled at how well she knew him. "We could give him a call."

"It can't hurt…can it?"

He shrugged, recklessly already picking up the once white receiver beside the bed. They felt safe in their hotel room, invincible almost, surrounded by the four less than pretty walls and their closeness. He dialed the number from memory. It rang once. Twice. "Hello. Mr. Smith?"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks everyone for reading! We hope that we didn't lose anyone while fanfic was screwy. Feel free to follow HPFan1952 on twitter (****lttlegreengrl) and/or me on tumblr (itsallblackandwhitemoviestome) for updates : )**

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: We do not own Castle<em>.<em>

* * *

><p>Co-authored by<strong> HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

* * *

><p>Fire beats roses again.<p>

- Suzanne Collins, _Mockingay_

Sable Night, mother of Dread and Fear,  
>Upon the world dim darkness doth display,<br>And in her vaulty prison stows the Day.

-William Shakespeare, _The Rape of Lucrece_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Twelve<span>

He had been so close. They had been right there. The desire to reach out and simply end their lives had been so strong. Now in the peaceful darkness of the yard, that desire raged on. It was a roaring fire in his chest, in his head. His muscles ached with yearning. He needed to move, to do something, so he made his way to the sliding doors and sat beside the steps, out of sight of the door. He sat there waiting for the tense argument inside to end. He waited for his master.

His master. He lived wanted so badly for the Dragon to be proud of him and thank him. He had worked so hard to finally be in this position and he was not going to let those two ruin it for him. He lived to carry out the Dragon's wishes but sometimes his own wishes got the better of him as they almost had tonight.

There was silence now inside the house and the lights turned on and off in different parts of the house. He could see the flickering lights on the lawn, dancing light and shadow.

A shadowed figure appeared in the rectangle of light at the door. He stood up, silently and revealed himself.

The Dragon looked shocked and hissed, "What are you doing here? My wife could see you!"

Ignoring him, the Texan spoke without feeling, in a low voice. "They were here tonight you know?"

"And I'm guessing they are gone now. " The senator looked around drawing out his words.

"Yes sir. You surprised them when you returned home so suddenly. I would have gotten them, I could have." His voice was almost desperate by the time he finished speaking. He was strong. He knew that, but when his master stood in front of him, judging him, he was weak.

Sherman lashed out. "Could and would is not good enough. I don't have time for this." He saw the big arrogant man in front of him seem to shrink and he cringed. Peter Sherman was tired, they had missed the event that evening due to some protesters and he had taken it out on his wife. He had blamed her for being late and for them getting caught. He hated himself for it. They used to be able to talk about things like that and she would reassure him. He wished more than ever that he could be free. He sighed, thinking hard, "They don't know anything. They can't know anything if they are this reckless. You need to pick them up tomorrow before it's too late."

"I almost got the girl that one time. I can do it again." The Texan's voice was small.

Peter kept his voice gentler than before and spoke evenly, "The girl is not enough anymore. It might have worked before but now more than ever you need to get them both. You know that that man will do everything in his power to save the girl and vice versa. They could expose everything being as reckless as they are at the moment." He paused for a second. Two. "But, they will do anything to be together so keeping them apart after we grab them could work wonders." He shivered at his cruelty; remembering that love, that love that he would be using against them. "Together they are strong but one without the other is weak." He was lost in his own thoughts again; love, his wife and his children.

The Texan stood stock still waiting for his master to surface again. He saw the feelings playing across the man's face like they did in movies and on television. He wondered what those feelings were like. He knew you were supposed to have those feelings. He thought that he should want those feelings. Everyone had those feelings except for him. He was empty, filled only with the heat and a tug that made him do what he did. It was almost like a feeling that you saw on television but it was in their eyes. When he looked in the mirror his eyes were blank, dark holes that sucked in his prey. While he saw the feelings everywhere he didn't know how to get them and he didn't know if he wanted to get them. Sometimes when he saw his Masters face, like when he talked about his children, he thought that maybe he should try and feel like that. But there was never anything there, only a vast emptiness and a flaming push to the edge from where there was no return.

Eventually the Dragon focused on him again. "I want them both tomorrow. Locked up and separated. Do not speak to me until you have done that. "

The Texan gave a curt nod. He had an order now and nothing could stop him. He was already drawn away, drawn to the hotel where the man and his girl were hiding. He legs moved of their own accord and he moved silently off into the night.

* * *

><p>Kate leaned back against the headboard, releasing the breath she had been holding. Beside her Castle returned the phone into its cradle, wincing slightly as he shifted to gain a better position, his ankle turning a little too much to the left. She placed a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention to hers. She gave his arm a gentle squeeze, a reassuring smile crossing her features.<p>

"It was worth a shot. Thank you."

He nodded his head, giving her a slight smile in return before, turning his gaze to her hand still resting on his shoulder. She felt the heat return to her cheeks and spread to the rest of her frame as his eyes shifted back to hers. She scooted closer, the deeper connection drawing her without conscious thought. She lightly kissed his lips before her mind caught up with her, pulling back to meet the same stunned gaze she knew she held. She swallowed once, her heart racing in her rib cage. Her free hand found itself resting over his pounding heart for a second time of its own accord, as she leaned forward to meet him half way. His lips found hers with a gentle rhythm, demanding no more then she would allow. She invited more, unable to hold back the need she felt at his touch as his hand softly cradled her jaw.

She melted against the delicate dance he performed within her mouth, the soft sounds of pleasure and contentment escaping her. She gripped his shirt half leading, half following him down onto the pillows, his frame partially draped over her. Castle gently broke away, his lips just a fraction from hers. He found her eyes, his gaze delving deep into hers, quietly speaking every emotion he felt for her. Kate raised her hand to his face, running her thumb tenderly along his cheek, giving all she wished to speak in return with that simple touch. She felt his soft smile against her lips as he returned his focus to them, placing the softest kiss upon them before gently claiming his way to her neck. She wove her hand through his hair holding him in place as his hungry nips and loving tastes of her flesh stealing away her breath.

His leg slipped between hers as he drew himself closer. She shifted her leg in response cradling his hip against her. She felt a wolfish grin at her neck followed by a primal growl weaving its way deep into her marrow. His kissed his way along the exposed potion of her neckline towards the v of her throat, his hands weaving their way to the top button of her blouse. Her heart felt like it would escape her as slowly he slipped one button to the next, exposing more and more flesh for his lips to love and his hands to caress.

* * *

><p>The dawn broke upon the horizon, warming the world outside until the fog lifted and its light could find the Earth. The first birds of spring started their song, one bird followed by another until the trees rang with their voices. The shop keepers begin the motions of open their stores, flip by card flip the buildings turning from open to close. The first cars of the day started by, those inside ready or not so ready to start their days.<p>

He watched them emerge from their room together, arm in arm. He trailed them from across the street, his trained eye not once leaving them. It amused him how oblivious they were to the world around them. His chance had come. He waited until they exited the coffee shop before crossing the street, his hand resting on the butt of his gun. The boss said bring both and both he would gather, little lambs for slaughter, he hoped. They turned the corner of the motel first. He pulled the gun from his side and quickened his pace.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: There will be an extended love scene as a companion piece coming soon ;)**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

* * *

><p>Co-authored by<strong> HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

* * *

><p>Faith is an excitement and an enthusiasm: it is a condition of intellectual magnificence to which we must cling as to a treasure, and not squander on our way through life in the small coin of empty words, or in exact and priggish argument.<br>-George Sand

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Thirteen<span>

"The money was never claimed." Ryan returned the phone to the cradle and turned to his attention his partner, conscious of the rest of the precinct listening in, the gossip and bets gone after finding the cabin destroyed. "You don't think...

"We can't think like that. Have you heard back from D.C. police?" Esposito asked, dispelling the thought with a more promising question.

"They still haven't found the truck." Ryan sat back in his chair. "What are we going to tell Castle's family or Mr. Beckett? This isn't exactly good news." He lifted his head towards the Captain's office. "Not, to mention what were are going to tell Gates."

"We tell her nothing." Esposito's statement pulled his attention back to his partner. "As for their families," he continued, bringing his own attention away from the office, a determined look on his face. "We tell them we are going down there to find them."

* * *

><p>Alexis listened from the edge of the hallway, as the discussion of the developments occurred at the dining room table. Her stomach knotted at the news of the money wire not being claimed by day's end and she nearly missed the report of the truck still remaining un-located in D.C. city limits. As the discussion turned to preparations on leaving to find them, she slipped back down the hall to the spare room, tearing through the small pile of her clothes on the guest bed, shoving them down into her back pack. She headed back into the hallway and into the living room just as the duo started to head out the door.<p>

"Whoa. Not this time. Castle would kill us if we allowed you to walk into danger," Esposito said, turning Ryan's attention back in from the apartment building hallway and pulling Lanie and her Grandmother's attention from the couch. She turned her eyes to Lanie, silently pleading for her to once again step in to her defense.

"Sweetie, Javi's right this time. The people your Father and Beckett are chasing, they aren't to be messed with lightly," the M.E. started, getting up and walking towards her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know you want to help bring them home but, if these people get wind of you being down there, they will try to get to you to get to your Father."

Alexis stepped towards the door, tugging the back pack higher on her shoulder. "If none of you will let me go, then I am going myself." She tried to side step Ryan as he blocked her way.

"Alexis."

"I'm sorry, Grams. But, I am going." She found an opening and slipped past one Detective only to be stopped by another, as he gripped her bag and tugged her back into the room. "I'll just run in the night. You guys aren't going to stop me on this one. Right now my Dad and Kate could be hurt or worse. We know where they are and, I am going to go there." She turned to face Esposito and pulled her pack from his hand, turning back into the room, a determined glint in her eye as she dared anyone to stop her from walking out that door a second time.

The door swung closed behind her and everyone was still for a second or two.

Lanie was the first to move; she grabbed a jacket, slipped into some shoes and prepared to run after Alexis. She turned to look back at the door. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Babe you can't mean to let her go?"

"Well, I'm surely not going to waste my time arguing when we could be halfway to Washington by now."

Ryan was next to move, only stopping to look back at Martha. "Ma'am…"

"I'll stay if that's all right, I'll find a place."

Espo was moving, slowly but with determination in his step. He had accepted it now. "If you are sure…"

"Go on. I want to stay out of it and stay ignorant as possible so I am not imagining all the horrible things… plus I have an ex-lover living there and I know he would find me." She shuddered, more at the thought of the ex-lover than what might have befallen her son. He always got himself out of scrapes in the past and he would again.

They were out the door now, circled around Alexis who was sitting on the floor outside the apartment much as they had found her when this whole mess had started.

She looked up at them, her eyes heavy with more pain and uncertainty than should ever be in someone's eyes. "I didn't really want to go alone," she wavered.

The silence that followed was deafening and three great cracks formed in their hearts.

* * *

><p>After finding Alexis they had had time to collect a few things before they made the long drive. Ryan and Espo had tried their best to keep the mood light and their minds off the unknown terror that lay before them. They sang along to the radio rapping and made up their own words when they didn't know the real ones. It had coaxed a smile or two and some giggles from the women in the back seat but as soon as they reached the city limits a tense silence filled the car. It was as if they expected to see their friends, their family, broken on the side of the road.<p>

They reached the money mart where Castle had been receiving his money and steeled themselves. Four seatbelts were released, that noise the only thing breaking the silence.

Next, it was the car doors slamming followed by the bell over the door that broke the silence. Finally, Esposito spoke; he showed the man at the counter the transaction numbers and flashed his badge quickly.

"I'm sorry sir, we really can't…"

Ryan sidled in to play the good cop. "We get it man, no worries, how about you just describe him for use. Was he with anyone?"

The man was nervous now and cleared his throat, "Uh… he was tall…there was a hot chick with him and they drove an ugly truck."

Esposito smirked a little and tried again, "Now, is there any way you have of reaching this man?"

"Sir, I already said…"

Lanie came up behind them and put a reassuring and calming hand on Esposito's back. He opened his mouth to speak when Alexis stepped forward, tears pouring down her face and slammed her hands down on the counter.

"I need to find my father! I need that number!"

The man had no idea how to deal with a sobbing and angry teenage girl. He looked to the 'Employees Only' door, panicking slightly. "Ok, ok, let me get it…" his fingers pressed a few keys and he pulled up a file. He wrote down the number with shaking fingers, "Here's the number. I think it is a hotel though, I would just leave a message with the operator and then they would show up."

The tears disappeared instantly, Alexis was Martha Rodgers' granddaughter after all, and she thanked him with sweetness dripping from every word.

They were already driving blindly while Ryan searched the number with his phone to bring up the hotel and a map to guide them.

They screeched to a stop, beside the truck Jim (and the man at the money mart) had described. They were flying out of the car and after checking in the truck, ran for the office.

Esposito spoke harshly to the man at the desk asking for the room number, again flashing his badge. This man at this desk sprung into action not noticing that the badge was from a totally different state. He fumbled to find the room number and offered them a spare key.

They thanked him and Ryan had the insight to ask when he had last see Castle and Beckett.

"Oh, this morning sometime… it was later than usual and they had definitely made up if you know what I mean..."

Ryan coughed; it was a little too much information, but at least it was something.

The man continued, "But they never came back with their coffee that they get every morning and they never took the ugly truck away."

Ryan took the key and thanked the man for his help.

They all hurried down the line of rooms with the man calling out behind them to "just ask" if they needed anything else.

It was comical, or could have been in any other situation, but not now.

They opened the door hurriedly and looked around at the empty room. Empty.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

* * *

><p>Co-authored by<strong> HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

* * *

><p>"The pain of Larka's loss tortured Kar. He was losing the will to live. He would howl long and softly to himself, a mourning call, and mutter of Tor and Fenris and Sita."<p>

_-The Sight_, David Clement-Davies

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Fourteen<span>

It was all a dream. Just a dream.

His head throbbed. It was dark.

Had last night really happened? Or, was that when the dream had started?

He couldn't make himself believe that. It had been too sweet, too right.

He shook his head to try and clear the cobwebs, clear the ringing in his ears.

No, he remembered waking up this morning (if it was still today) with her head on his chest. Her hair was tickling his nose but he didn't want to move and wake her up.

He remembered that they had been shy at first, unsure of where they stood and where they went next. There had been hesitation as they touched, slowly, but then moving together as they made love again in the fresh light of the morning. Rediscovering and discovering. That much was clear.

They had gotten ready for the day, not so much dancing around each other but dancing with one another. There had been a hand on a shoulder or at the small of the back, a playful bump of the hips or hands brushing as they showered and dressed.

Then it was a blur. What had happened next?

He forced himself to walk his fuzzy brain through the motions.

Coffee. They always had coffee in the morning, but this time they had gone together. He remembered the feel of her hand, soft in his surprisingly rough hands.

He smiled through the pain remembering how she had leaned into him as they chose their breakfast and ordered their coffee. They had walked arm in arm, zigzagging down the sidewalk. It had been a simple and perfect moment in time.

The gun. The next thing he remembered was the gun pressed to Kate's temple and the chilling drawl telling them not to talk, not to move.

Then he remembered the sound of metal against bone followed by...darkness.

He could hear her voice in the darkness calling to him. He tried to hold onto that voice and pull himself out of the darkness. He tried to wake up.

"Kate!"

* * *

><p>"Castle!"<p>

Her voice was hoarse from screaming his name.

She vividly remembered seeing him crumple when the gun connected with his skull. Her big, strong man lying crumpled on the sidewalk like a rag doll.

The gun had been pressed to her temple again and she couldn't have moved even if she wanted to she had been so shocked. She hadn't protested when her hands and ankles had been tied and she had been showed in the car. She didn't say a word as she watched the same thing being done to Castle. She had stayed silent, shocked and scared. Every second was another second alive.

She remembered the torturous drive; she had seen every house fly by and every tree a blur. As they went down the street of a new suburb neighbourhood, she knew they would not be leaving alive not if their attacker was letting her see where they were going.

By the time they had gotten to the deserted house she had collected herself, prepared herself. She fought back knowing that no matter what they would be dead. It was just a matter of time and she wasn't prepared to go down without a fight.

She had kicked the door into his chest when he came to get her but it hadn't stopped him for a second.

She swung both hands at him but all he had to do was slap her face. It was enough to send her head flying to the windshield and pain shot through her head and radiated on the side of her face with the force of the slap.

She could still the tastes the metal sweet tang of blood in her mouth. At least, it was a reminder that she was still there.

She called his name again.

The man walked up to her stretching his arms. He stopped only to put his hat safely on a nearby table.

A door slammed somewhere in the house.

"You gonna give up your on lover boy now?

Soft footfalls and a soft calm voice interrupted him. "That's enough. I'll take it from here."

* * *

><p><em>I see death. I welcome death. Come sweet death take me now as you have taken him. I hear you. Forgive me oh, beloved. You fell because of me because, I could not answer. You should not be dead. I deserve death. I killed you. I could not provide and you are dead. I welcome death. Take me oh, death. Take me and give him back. Let him waken. Let me sleep eternally. I killed him. I am guilty. Take me now, please oh sweet and beautiful death. Let me live no more.<em>

Kate stared blindly at floor in front of her. Seeing nothing but, the shadows in her mind. Feeling nothing but, the shreds of her heart. Hearing nothing but, the sounds of gunfire forever ingrained in her soul. Castle was dead. She did not want to believe but, she saw it with her own eyes. Seen the flash in the night, seen his shadowed form fall back into the river, felt the pain. If only the answers 'the dragon' demanded were answers she had. She'd begged. She'd pleaded. She'd swore to do anything he asked if he would just call off the Texan. Just let Castle go.

_I see death. I welcome death. Come sweet death take me now as you have taken him. I hear you. Forgive me oh, beloved. You fell because of me because, I could not answer. You should not be dead. I deserve death. I killed you. I could not provide and you are dead. I welcome death. Take me oh, death. Take me and give him back. Let him waken. Let me sleep eternally. I killed him. I am guilty. Take me now, please oh sweet and beautiful death. Let me live no more._

* * *

><p>He felt the sharp pain in his shoulder. He felt the delirium over the loss of blood. Something cold nudged his face, sniffled and ruffled his hair. He heard the muffled bay of a hound, the shouts of a search party. He felt himself lifted from the cold wet Earth. He fell back into darkness.<p>

_Kate._


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

* * *

><p>Co-authored by<strong> HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

* * *

><p>"I fear my heart is broken."<p>

- Terry Goodkind, _Faith of the Fallen_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Fifteen<span>

_I cannot die. I cut myself. Wrists bleed deep. I cannot die. I cut deeper. Warmth it coats me. I cannot die. I cut away the cloth. Try again. Throw a mug against a wall, use the shards that do fall. Wrap the wrist, sinner this. I cannot die no more apple pie. Stinging, stinging all the world stinging. No fork. No knife. No plate. Water forced down throat. Food shoved in. Sick. Hold nothing in. Death. I beg for, death. I cannot die. Fight. No fight. No him. No fight. Nightmares. Living nightmares. No him. No comfort. Curl. Curl tight. Beg for death. I cannot die. Sleep. No sleep. Memories. Happy memories. His touch. His hope. His love. Burrow deeper. I feel. Fight. No fight. No him. No fight. I cannot die. Watch me. Demon eyes watch me. Wrists sting. Cry out. No one sees. No gentle touch. Gone. He is gone. I cannot die. I cannot die. I cannot die._

She lay on her side, passive, un-moving, limbs limp, useless. Her hair matted, coated in her own blood. Her wrists tightly bound in white linens. Crimson stains surrounded her, in wide spots on the blue carpet, evidence of the attempts on her own self. Near the far door, several more stains spattered the room, evidence of her attempts on them. The rancid smell of an ill stomach mixed with the sharp tang of carpet cleaners.

* * *

><p>"Dad!"<p>

He stirred at the voice, the wind knocked out of him as a weight crushed into his chest. Blinking open his eyes, he shifted his attention to focus on the bundle of red hair hugging him to death.

"Alexis? Wha…How?"

"Sorry, bro. We couldn't stop her."

Alexis released her grip on his neck and took a place beside the bed as Esposito, Ryan, and Lanie entered the hospital room. Castle shifted higher up against the frame, wincing at the sharp pain in his left shoulder as he watched his friends approach the foot of the bed. "Did you find Kate?" As one the three halted, each sharing a concerned look with the other. He felt his heart stop. "Have you found her?" Again, each looked to the other until, Ryan stepped forward.

* * *

><p>Castle yanked the IV lines from his hand amid the shouts and protests from person and machine alike. He threw back the thin covering and shoved Esposito aside, as the detective tried to hold him down. Ryan and Lanie tried to reason with him, he pushed passed them. Alexis pleaded; he hugged her tight and kept going. Too hell and high water with rest; he was going to find her if he had to raise Washington, D.C. to the ground. He barreled through a throng of nurses and doctors and out into the hall, the sound of four souls following after.<p>

* * *

><p>There was a buzzing in his head and beeping all around him.<p>

He pushed out of the darkness once again.

"Kate!," was the first word he called out.

There was a cool hand on his cheek and a small wavering voice, "Dad?"

"Alexis?" His brain refused to comprehend the situation.

"No dad, your other daughter." She was her father's daughter and humour was an ever popular defense mechanism.

Castle sat up quickly, making his head spin. "What happened? Where's Kate?"

"You lost too much blood bro, and when you made a run for it you passed out again." Espo replied calmly but Castle could still hear the fear in his voice. He may be a cop and he may be good, but not that good.

"Oh…." He trailed off with his ever constant question, 'Kate?', hanging in the air. The question was unspoken this time but louder than ever.

All this time Alexis was clutching at his arm, "Dad, I'm just glad that you're ok. We have been so worried about you. Why didn't' you tell us?" With no humour covering her emotions, the last words came out as a choked sob.

Castle sighed and pulled his daughter to his chest despite the pain, stroking her hair. "It was spur of the moment; we didn't want to endanger more people, involve more people."

Ryan sounded hurt when he spoke, "We are involved anyways."

Castle closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the pillow, knowing it was true. He was thankful, ever so grateful for his friends, his family. He thanked them, from the bottom of his heart before he asked one last time, "Can someone please tell me where Kate is?" His voice cracked as he said her name, echoing in the room.

There was a collective sigh that filled the room next before Espo took point. "We were hoping that when you woke up you could remember where you were when you got shot."

"Where did you find me? Not where I was shot?"

"You were found in a river, way downstream in the middle of nowhere. Some guy was out walking his dog in the back forty and found you. We have dogs searching out from the place where we found you to where you got shot. Do you know where you were shot?"

"No, I was unconscious when we were taken and it was dark when I was shot. Beats me…" His voice was so very weary as he told them how it all happened, going all the way back to when he and Kate left. He spoke quickly, without flourish, and so unlike himself.

Ryan dutifully took notes as Castle spoke. He looked up, "Is there any way that we can expose him? Make him give Kate back?"

Espo looked thoughtful at that suggestion but Castle would have none of it. "Not while he has Kate, he might…"

Ryan pushed on, "We know who he is, why don't we just contact him?"

Castle looked thoughtful at that suggestion, "Maybe." A fierce look took over his face, "What about his wife, he is married."

Alexis looked shocked and lifted her head to see the matching shocked faces around her.

Ryan was hesitant, "That's too far Castle…"

Silence. Nothing was too far for Castle at this point.

A few beeps from the heart monitor squeaked out before Castle made himself ask, "How long has it been since you found me?"

"6 hours or so."

His mind jumped from thought to though before finally landing on one that didn't involve Kate. "Wait, how did you guys find me?"

"The guy who found you called the cops and they got you to the hospital…. We had called all the hospitals earlier to see if you and Kate were there and they happened to get back to us. Nurse was a fan," Ryan finished with a shrug.

A phone ringing startled them all but still a welcome interruption.

Esposito dug his phone from his pocket, "Yo. Mhmm…..Mhmmm….Thanks, we'll meet you there." He punched the phone off, "They found where you were shot."


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

* * *

><p>Co-authored by<strong> HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

* * *

><p>"I know what conscience is, to begin with. It is not what you told me it was. It is the divinest thing in us. Don't sneer at it, Harry, any more,-at least not before me. I want to be good. I can't bear the idea of my soul being hideous."<p>

- Oscar Wilde, _The Picture of Dorian Gray_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Sixteen<span>

Kate sat on the barren bed in the now barren room. It had been stripped of anything that she might use to let herself be free; free of the pain, free of this earth. It was empty, as was she.

She leaned her head against the wall, that small movement alerting herself to the fact that she was unfortunately still alive.

She was shivering from the icy cold water they had used to hose her down; as if she were an animal in the zoo. She was dry by now, the blood and vomit washed away, but it had chilled her to the bone. She felt feverish, hollow.

She hadn't lost all human dignity, although her clothes were stiff and tight from drying on her body and her hair was impossibly matted, she was clean. That feeling, and to relish in that feeling, was still something human to hold onto.

Some increment of time passed before the door opened, and the world around her blurred from the pain and anger she felt when she caught sight of the man. Her voice was weary, no fight left, "What are you going to do with me?"

"Nothing. Everything." The words swirled about the room like an icy wind, only making Kate shiver even more. "I called you here to put an end to my suffering."

Kate choked on the bile that rose in her throat but she swallowed hard; she didn't want to be subject to the torturous water again. "Your suffering," she scoffed, muttered it under her breath.

In this small room however, it echoed, and the Dragon's steely eyes narrowed. "Yes girlie, my suffering." _More than you can imagine. More than I should. Less than I deserve._

Kate's feverish mind spun before it grabbed onto the other part of the sentence, "You called?"

"Yes, didn't you get my message last year? Billy was most upset that you didn't die. When I get what information I need from you, I'll let him do what he wants with you. He has been faithful to me for so long, he deserves it." In truth he didn't want to spend any more time in the room with the girl, her eyes haunting him as he suspected they would the rest of his life. To orchestrate the shooting had been easy as there had been distance, but now that he was here, doing this...he hated himself. He hated himself and channelled that hatred into his last steps to the end; he had just as much will to live as she did. "Now, I need to know what you know. Who have you told? Any information must be destroyed."

She needed Castle. _Please, I need him_. In her mind, Kate reached out to Castle as she did with his books, as she did the summer before. She was searching for the flame she knew was gone. She needed that connection. She needed the warmth and safety it brought her.

The room swam and she closed her eyes, feeling flushed and feverish. As if by her will alone, she felt the flame come to life, somewhere, she could feel the beat of his heart far away. Castle. A giggle escaped her lips. She was hallucinating. But, it was hope. Whether he was there or not didn't matter for that moment in time, she knew he was telling her to keep going. Keep going for him, for her mother, for everyone involved. She needed to slay the dragon once and for all so that she could go back and take care of her boys, watch out for Alexis and most of all watch out for herself.

The Dragon tried again; his voice was weary, old, and heartless. "Just tell me, please. What do you know? Who else knows?" There was no 'or else', he had nothing else. He was reduced to begging, pleading; he was at her mercy now.

Kate opened her eyes; she heard the humanity in his voice now that was only shocking her more. It was so easy to hate him for all that he had done, but when he became a person in front of her very eyes it was the last straw. She was going to capture this beast, no, this human being. She would catch him at his own game where he would have to spend the rest of his life tortured as she had been since her mother's death. She spat his words back at him, "Nothing. Everything."

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><p>He saw red. His mind only processed the distance between him and the two story house. Only, calculated the time it would take to get from here to there, from here to her. The pain in his arm seemed only a dull throb compared to the tightness in his fingers as he balled his hand into a fist. Despite the doctors and the protests of the loved ones around him, he had insisted on going with them; he was going to help get Kate back, if it was the last thing he did on this Earth. He caught a glimpse of the one who had caught them and his vision narrowed; if it were not for the weight of his two companions holding him down, he would be charging across the distance ready to be judge, jury and executioner all in one.<p>

"Steady, bro." Esposito patted his shoulder, an attempt to call him back from the blood wrath. He tried to spring forward the moment half the weight removed itself from his frame. A firm hand eased him back down. "Easy, Castle. We will get her out."

He tried to shake his head, clear his mind but, the wrath refused to leave him. He heard the light crackle of the walkie and barely processed Esposito's response. He shifted his weight, the 'move in one minute call' seeming more like 'move in twenty years'. He took in a deep breath, feeling like the race horse awaiting the sounding bell, like the lion in the moments before he went in for the kill. Twenty seconds. He swallowed and breathed out. The countdown continued. He breathed in. Ten till. He breathed out. His muscles tensed. He heard the starting call. He tore forward, a force to be reckoned with, the knight returned to slay the dragon.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

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><p>Co-authored by<strong> HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

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><p>"Eulaliaaa! Give 'um blood an' vinegar!"<p>

- Brian Jacques, from the _Redwall _Series

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><p><span>Chapter Seventeen<span>

Castle cleared the distance in a blur and, came up behind the Texan before the man could even comprehend someone was even there. He thrust him against the back entrance of the building, afforded the strength of Hercules in his fury. He heard the snap of bone, as the Texan's nose hit the door. He contemplated taking his anger further, the sickening pleasure of riding the world of a monster tickling his conscious mind. Instead, he slammed the rat into the door a second time, relishing the feel of the man falling limp in his hand. He tossed the unconscious body from him and, burst into the dark kitchen, just as the boy's and several of DC's police caught up to him.

He ignored the shouts to hold back and pushed forward, calling out her name.

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><p>She heard him. She looked to Senator Sherman's face, he had heard him. She had not yet lost her mind. <em>Castle is alive<em>. The thought hit her deep within, turning the tiny flame she had sought into a raging inferno. _Castle is alive._ She cried out to him in response, the act straining her voice. The Senator rushed forward and shoved her back against the mattress, covering her mouth in a futile attempt to keep her quiet. _Castle is alive._ She fought back, the dragon proving strong in his final grasp for freedom. He put a hand to her throat trying to cut off her air.

Kate heard the door to the room slam open. She felt the weight lifted off of her. And, before her mind could process the sight, he pulled her to him, cradling her head to his shoulder. His warmth immediately enveloped her, shattering the last tendrils of her nightmares. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck, drinking in his familiar scent. She felt his lips find the side of her head, kissing her, assuring her. She felt his labored breaths, his racing pulse, his body shaking with adrenaline. "You're alive," she whispered, joyous tears falling.

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><p>He kissed her temple a second time and rested his head in her hair, feeling each tear hit his skin. He tightened his hold and stroked her tangled locks. The surge of strength quietly faded out of his system, allowing the full extent of his trials to return. His left shoulder protested under the weight of her head, his legs felt about ready to give out on him. He blinked against the darkness trying to take him. He sagged against her, unsteady on his feet.<p>

"Rick." Her panicked voice filtered in through the fog enveloping him. He slumped sideways, the sound of muffled foot falls meeting his ears, along with the sounds of his friend's voices as they arrested his fall. His world faded to black…

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><p>Castle regained consciousness to the now familiar buzzing in his head and beep of the heart monitor. The first mumbled word out of his mouth was familiar too, a habit now, "Kate?" What wasn't familiar however was the warm weight on his shoulder and the accompanying sweet smell of...No, that something was familiar; it smelled like summer…cherries. His eyes flew open, "Kate."<p>

She lifted her head from his shoulder and breathed, "Castle."

"Kate," he repeated as if by saying her name it made her real. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

She self consciously lifted her hands to fix her now clean hair and smiled shyly, "You're not so bad yourself Castle."

The warmth he felt when he heard those words, and remembered the first time she had said that exact phrase to him, was eclipsed by the sight of the stark white bandages on her wrists. He took her hands in his and thumbed the edge of the dressing. "What did he do to you Kate?"

She couldn't meet his eyes; she couldn't face the pain and anger reflected in them knowing what she had done. She mumbled but was unable to tell him anything but the truth, "He didn't."

He gripped her hands tighter, ignoring the pain in his shoulder and she heard his sharp intake of breath.

"I did." She met his eyes then and was stunned at the…love that was glowed in his eyes now. Tears welled and spilled down her cheeks. "I thought you were gone. I had lost everything. I just wanted to be free of the pain."

He shifted sideways in the bed and let go of her hands to gesture to the space beside him. She didn't hesitate and climbed up, curling into his good side, crying silently and freeing herself of the pain from the last few days. Eventually the tears subsided and she looked up with a watery smile before glancing at her wrists, "I guess I am going to have to keep seeing eh?"

Castle let himself smile in return, "Dr. Worf? That's what you call him?"

Her head bobbed, "That's who he sounds like."

"Does it help?"

"I don't know…it's amusing at least. He doesn't know I call him that…"

He traced his free hand up and down her spine, "The therapy?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad Kate."

They lay there; breathing, being, and loving. The past days, weeks and months were far from their minds. She traced designs on his chest while his hand lightly roamed her back and smoothed her hair. The physical connection was enough, for now.

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><p>The gang had waited as long as they could before they interrupted them. When they pushed open the door, the couple on the bed moved slowly apart to face them and elation spread through the room; they were all together again.<p>

That feeling had faded away when the cops entered the room; they could only be held off for so long. It had taken ages to take their statements and hundreds of questions had been asked before they were free to go. By this point as well, Castle was being discharged and it was finally time to head home.

"Who's going to drive the truck back? They can't." Ryan cocked his chin at Castle and Kate, standing close to each other a few feet away.

"Shot-not," Esposito was quick to reply.

"Then you get to spend four plus hours with those two," Ryan cocked his chin once again at Kate and Castle who whispering to each other now.

"We could just not bring it back," Lanie suggested.

Of course, it was then that Kate and Castle decided to pay attention. Kate started, "The neighbours love that truck…"

"…and we won't all fit in the car," Castle finished.

Clearly deciding that the truck would be the lesser of two evils Espo declared he and Lanie would drive it to New York.

"I don't want to be seen in that thing," Lanie exclaimed.

He hushed her with a quick kiss, "I don't either. It'll be dark by the time we get back there so don't worry, no one will see us."

As they left to find a taxi to take them to the truck, Lanie glanced back to give Kate a look that clearly said 'you owe me'.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

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><p>Co-authored by<strong> HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

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><p>"Love's gonna make it alright"<p>

- George Strait

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><p><span>Chapter Eighteen<span>

Ryan replayed the scene in his head as they drove through the quiet night; they were a family again. A crazy, perfect little family.

He glanced in the rearview mirror to see the other little family in the back seat. After collecting Kate and Castle's few belongings from their motel room and tipping the manager, all three of them had climbed into the back seat. Castle had taken the middle seat; his knees were drawn up to his chest and his head was practically hitting the ceiling. Still, he looked most content. They had all passed out before they had left the city limits; Castle with a red head on one shoulder and a brunette on the other. Ryan wanted to capture that moment somehow and show it to their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even his own children, so that he could show them what love really was.

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><p>At the end of the cozy drive, their goodbye was awkward with Alexis standing a few feet away and Ryan waiting for Kate. They mumbled along under the glow of the streetlights until Castle suggested that they check in with Gates the next day.<p>

"Mhmmm…"

"I'll call a car then and pick you up at nine?"

"Sounds perfect."

He dropped a light kiss on her lips, "Until tomorrow."

She skipped around the front of the car and forced a smile as she slid in the passenger seat.

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><p>Martha greeted them at the door, "Oh hello darlings! Did you have a safe drive?"<p>

Alexis wrapped her grandmother in a tight hug, "Grams, I was so worried about you."

"Oh don't you worry dear, I've been fine. Your father's credit card will attest to that."

Castle kissed his mother on the cheek, "I missed you too."

While grandmother and granddaughter caught each other up, Castle surveyed the loft. He'd heard what had happened to it and was pleasantly surprised at the condition it was in. He traced his hand over bare shelves where vases or other nick knacks had been and ran his hand over the spines of his books. His home was whole again but it still felt strange, like more than objects were missing, something else.

They hadn't been home fifteen minutes when that missing piece came back to him. The phone rang and Castle picked it up quickly so as not to interrupt the now giggling women in the living room.

"Mr. Castle, your girl is down here studying the art in the lobby.

"My girl?" Castle could hear his girls still giggling away. Then, it dawned on him and his heart surged. He thanked the concierge and ran out the door, throwing a garbled sentence over his shoulder in his hurry.

When he reached the lobby, he was breathless and his heart pounding, "Kate."

She tore her gaze from the artwork she was so intently studying.

"It's interesting isn't it?"

"What?"

Castle nodded to the painting.

"Oh… Ryan dropped me at home and then I realized I just couldn't go up, I couldn't be by myself. So, I came here and I wasn't sure if I could come up…"

"…So you hung out with my concierge."

That coaxed a smile from her and she shrugged sheepishly. "I guess so, yeah."

Castle took the last step towards her and enfolded her in his arms, "It's always okay to come over, always."

"I'm just not sure where we stand, what we are, after all that has happened…" Kate trailed off yet again and let him lead her to the elevators, still tucked in at his side. They were silent on the ride up, thinking, with only the sound of the elevator to keep them company.

Castle let them into the loft, surprising Martha and Alexis who were still chatting on the couch. The two women quickly got up to move and after quick 'Hellos' were heading for the stairs.

"Just a minute Kate, ok?"

"Of course." She moved her way into the office and was surveying it as Castle had done when she heard Castle in the other room, "Hey baby bird, are you ok?" Those words grabbed her heart and filled it with…love. She left them to talk and went through the door to his bedroom, only pausing for a second as she crossed the threshold. It felt strange, but at the same time felt so right.

He joined her not too long after and found her sitting at the end of his bed. She spoke quietly, not wanting to admit it to herself, "I don't think I could sleep alone tonight."

"Me neither."

"Is it a little crazy?"

"No, we've spent nearly every night together since this started."

She nodded, it made sense, logical. But, she waited for more, hoped that there would be more.

He continued, "Kate, we're us now, if that's what you want?"

"Can we be an 'us' though?"

"If we want it badly enough then I know that we'll make it through everything we have to figure out."

"I want it."

"I do too."

They slept curled together that night, like links in a chain, strong and united to face the days to come.

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><p>Kate felt warm and safe, as she quietly woke up beside him, her face nuzzled into his chest, his light puffs of air tickling her forehead. His legs were tangled with hers, drawing her body close to his. One arm wrapped around her body, the other smashed between them, his hand falling to the hem of the shirt he let her borrow. Warmth filled her cheeks at the thought of how close he had unknowingly come to seducing her in his sleep. She bit her lip holding back the temptation to wake him, wanting him to gain as much rest as possible. She gently eased her way out of his embrace to the edge of the bed and sat up. She looked towards him as he mumbled her name in his sleep, a soft smile on her features as she reached out and brushed a few loose strands of hair from his face. She continued to gentle ministrations until the tension eased from his brow and he drifted back into a deeper sleep.<p>

The chill of the room hit her exposed skin as she removed herself from the silken sheets and the warm covers and stepped onto the floor; the edges of his shirt tickling the back of her knees as her body shivered in the cold. She wrapped her arms around her and searched in the dark of the room for the extra robe he had sat out for her. She pulled her arms through the plush material, grateful for the immediate warmth it provided. A hint of his scent remained tucked away in the fibers and she breathed in deep, finding solace in being wrapped in layers of him. Tying off the robe, she slipped from his bedroom and into the office, the cool shadows of sunrise breaking in through the window. Pausing for a moment, she took in the sight of his writing space, the little tendrils of the magic of the storyteller whispering in her ear. She turned towards the main living space, making her way to the kitchen to start some coffee, noting the figure sitting at the counter.

"Alexis," she said quietly as she rounded the counter, stopping just in front of the young woman, who raised her head from the book she was reading and wished her a less then cheerful morning before, returning to the page, squinting in the less than perfect reading light. Kate looked away, lowering her gaze to the tiled counter top. "Listen, I never got a chance to really talk to you after the rescue," she paused and swallowed. "I want you to know, I never meant for things to happen this way. I never meant for your Father to get hurt." She took in a deep breath, tears forming in her eyes at the recent memories. "You must hate me."

She heard her take in and release a long deep breath. "I don't hate you," she finally started. Kate lifted her head and found the young woman staring up at her. "I don't like what happened but, I don't hate you." Alexis turned her attention to the first real rays of light coming into the room, its warmth embracing all within. "There was a moment when perhaps I did," she continued, hanging her head. "But, then in one brief instant, I think I understood you more than anyone could." She returned her eyes to Kate and she could see the tears forming. "I thought I'd lost my Dad, when I found the loft like I did. I really didn't even go in until, Ryan and Esposito showed up; afraid of what I might find beyond the threshold of the door. And, then when we got the call that he had been found nearly drowned and shot—

Kate rounded the counter and pulled her in for a comforting hug, as her voice cracked under her words. "Alexis," she paused, her own voice wavering as her own tears spilled from her eyes. "I can't promise you nothing will ever happen to your Father again. But, I can promise you, I will do everything in my power to keep him safe and ensure he comes home in one piece." She felt the young woman nod her understanding into her shoulder, her silent sobs shaking her frame.

"You really love him, don't you?"

She smiled softly. "Yeah, yeah I do."

Alexis pulled away from her shoulder and looked up at her, a quiet smile forming, as she brushed her tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "Then promise me one more thing." She sat back into her spot at the counter and, closed her book. Kate nodded for her to continue. "When I go off to college, don't let my Dad get near any tiki torches. He'll think he can juggle them, and let's just say the last time he tried; we had to replace a neighbor's deck and patio furniture."

Her smile widened as she nodded a second time and found herself pulled into a warm hug from the young woman, soft laughter escaping them both. "Thank you, Kate. I couldn't imagine my Dad with any one more perfect for him." She hugged her tighter before sitting back again.

His voice sounded from behind them. "So what are my two favorite ladies, whispering about?" She felt his arm wrap around her middle. Castle drew both her and Alexis close, kissing the tops of both of their heads. Kate turned her attention to him and smiled a mischievous grin. "What?"

"I hear tiki torches aren't your friend."

She bit her lip at the mortified expression crossing his features, doing her best to hold back the laughter building in her chest. Alexis slipped off the stool and started for the stairs. He reached out and arrested her attempt, pulling her into a deep open armed hug. The laughter escaped her, and only intensified at the narrowed gaze her turned on her. He yanked her from the chair and squished her against him for a second deep embrace, stating he wouldn't let either of them go until they apologized. They both pleaded their case into his robe, their voices muffled.

"Richard, don't be so melodramatic."

Kate shifted around to catch sight of the family Matriarch as she stepped off the last step and made for the kitchen. She felt his grip loosen, a light rumble in his chest from his own laughter. She returned to her spot at the counter as Alexis slipped around to hug her grandmother before heading back upstairs to get ready for the day, Martha following suit soon after, giving Kate a quick hug before disappearing

"So how long were you there," she asked.

"Long enough," he whispered, enveloping her in his arms. "Thank you, for helping ease my daughter's fears." His forehead rested against hers, his breath against her skin. "I have said it before and I will say it many times here after. You're extraordinary." He kissed her tenderly, pulling her to him. "I love you," he said against her lips.

"I love you, too," she whispered back, lightly kissing his lips in return before, nestling her face into his neck. She felt him stroke her hair as he rested his head. "There is still a long road ahead, Rick. Capturing him isn't the end, it's just the beginning."

"I'll be here through it all, Kate."

"As will we."

They both turned their heads to find Martha and Alexis coming towards them from the doorway, Lanie and 'the boys' following behind. "You didn't hear the door bell, did you," started Lanie as the five of them joined into the space if front of her and Castle. "Um huh, that's what I thought, not even ready. And, here we come early to have your back when you go to talk to Gates." She shook her head and hugged them both. "But, I think we forgive you." A round of 'that we do's and 'you owe us' preceded a large family hug, the warmth of which no storm could destroy.

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><p>P.S. We will be posting the epilogue tomorrow :)<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: We do not own Castle_._

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><p>Co-authored by<strong> HPFan1952<strong> and **JasmineBelle7**.

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><p>"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is."<p>

- C. S. Lewis

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><p><span>Epilogue<span>

_**Several Months Later…**_

"All rise."

Kate reached out for the hand by her side, locking her fingers tightly with his as she followed the rest of the occupants of the court room in rising to her feet. Her attention flowed from the judge entering into the picture to the tight lipped faces of the jury box. She felt him give her fingers a gentle squeeze as he lightly ran his thumb over her skin. She leaned against him, uncertain if her nerves would allow her to remain standing for much longer. She barely heard 'please be seated' over the pounding in her ears. He guided her back down into the seat, keeping his hold upon her hand as he took his place beside her. A gentle hand rested on her shoulder from behind and she turned her head to momentarily glance back at her friends and colleagues, a quiet smile of thanks for their support. She felt another hand grip her opposite arm and turned to Martha and Alexis, both of whom had reached out in moral support.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?"

She pulled her attention back the scene at hand as the jury foreman rose from his chair and faced the judge. She gripped Rick's hand tighter as the man affirmed the judge's statement. The room grew deathly still as the judge asked the defendant to rise and she swallowed back the bile in her mouth at having to see man who had destroyed her world, so calmly get to his feet.

"In the matter of the State versus Peter Sherman on the count of Conspiracy to Commit Murder," the foreman started reading from his small piece of paper. "We find the Defendant…" Kate felt her knuckles and chest tighten. She barely felt Castle bring her hand to his lips, tenderly trying to ease away the tension. "Guilty." A quiet roar descended on the court room, as collective sighs of relief washed over the persons within. Kate rested her head on his shoulder, every muscle in her body relaxing at just one word. She turned to listen as the rest of the verdicts came in; one guilty after another each one releasing another wave of relief until the judge used his gavel.

Court dismissed. She got to her feet and felt his arm slip around her as she started for the end of the row of chairs. She leaned into him as together they started for the doors and out into the hall, their friends and family in step with them. Outside, reporters swarmed the court house steps, the questions flying the moment she stepped a foot out the court house door. She answered a few, and declined the rest, giving only one formal statement before, allowing Castle to expertly lead her through the crowd; Lanie and 'the boys' acting as buffers, Alexis and Martha remaining near for support. She stepped into the town car first followed by Castle and his family, taking a seat at the opposite window. He gathered her to him as he sat beside her. "It's over."

She nodded her against his shoulder and closed her eyes, tears of relief flowing from her eyes. He kissed her hair and rested his head against hers, her hand still clasped tightly in his.

It wasn't long before she brushed the tears from her cheeks and ran a finger under her eyes to fix her makeup."Castle? Martha? Alexis? Is it ok if we make a little detour?" They nodded and she leaned forward to whisper to the driver; it was a secret apparently.

Over the long, not short, drive Kate was more and more animated, practically wiggling in her seat with excitement. When the car finally stopped she was out the door before she had taken the time to completely untangle herself from her seatbelt. Giggling ensued but she eventually collected herself to extricate herself from the car.

Albeit stunned at the complete change in Kate; Castle, Alexis and Martha followed her as she skipped along. She took them through the stone archway of the graveyard, pulling on Castle's arm. "C'mon, it's just over here."

A few hurried steps later, with Alexis and Martha struggling to keep up, Kate stopped in front of an intricate tombstone adorned with marble roses. "Hi Mum, I want you to meet Castle and his mother Martha and Alexis, his daughter." Kate gestured to them each in turn and they stepped forward, also in turn, to lay a hand on the cool stone. Alexis half wondered if she should curtsey, the moment just felt so important.

Kate spoke quietly, eyes sparkling with tears and excitement. "Mum…I did it. The Dragon is gone forever now. You can rest easy…and so can we all. But, I want you to know that if it were not for this man would I be standing here today, he saved me in more ways than you can imagine…which you don't really need to hear since I have told them to you anyways…"

"I haven't," Castle interrupted.

Kate put her finger to his lips to silence him but he only kissed it, moved it and continued, "Johanna, Mrs. Beckett, you should know that Kate has done her fair share in saving me too."

Kate moved her captured hand from his possession and covered his mouth again, "Shhh…" Her eyes simply danced now, transported, "Mum, this wonderfully annoying man is the man I am going to marry. We'll have kids someday and maybe even live in a big old Victorian house, just like I always dreamed as a kid."

_Are we now?_ But, Castle did as he was told, kept his mouth shut and just watched the magical little scene in front of him.

"I just wanted you to know that we beat the Dragon and to introduce you to my family."

_Her family. _

She stood up and looked around thoughtfully, "I'm just going to find some flowers for her grave."

"There isn't much out there unless you plan on stealing them from someone else's grave," Castle joked, trying to get a handle on the sequence of events.

"I'll find them, don't worry."

"I wasn't?" He said it with a question as he watched her run off into the field beside the graveyard. She ran and twirled and skipped along and Castle wondered if the stress had finally gotten to her. Things had been tense over the past few months; she had been having a hard time letting go of the case and it had been difficult for them to find their footing.

She was running back now with a few scant blossoms tied together with a long piece of grass. "Here Mum, Dad will bring you better flowers on the weekend I'm sure. I'll talk to you soon. Bye!"

Castle said goodbye to the pretty white rock as well, followed by his mother and daughter, who had stayed mostly silent while they observed the scene that had enfolded in front of _them. _

Castle was still flabbergasted at the woman that was not his Kate. He spoke softly, "Are you ok with all of this? We don't have to have the party tonight and you can see Dr. Burke instead?"

"I'm totally fine, never better. In fact, I had my last session with Burke a few days ago. I've really, truly put this all behind me now. Let's just go home so we're not late for our guests."

_Home._

She pressed a sloppy kiss to his lips, hugged Martha and twirled Alexis around before settling on calmly taking his hand for their walk to the car.

It was then that Castle realized that it was his Kate. He had just seen nineteen year old Kate, who had lost her mother too young and didn't let herself grow up, who didn't let go in fear of losing the last thing that tied her to her mother. But he saw his Kate ready to put it all to rest now, let go of her nineteen year old self and embrace her true ties to her mother, not tainted by the corrupt politics. She wasn't free until now; completely free of the burdens of the past and ready for the future. A future with him. Together. Forever.

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><p>AN: A million thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, alerted and favourite-ed this story!


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